VERBAL ABUSE MARS TEACHERS’ WORKING LIVES

10 November 2006

Verbal abuse will be the key issue for debate at a regional conference for members of NASUWT, the largest union representing teachers and headteachers throughout the UK, in the North West of England this weekend.

The Conference, which is taking place today and tomorrow (10 and 11 November) at the Haydock Thistle Hotel next to the racecourse, is expected to attract over 100 teachers from across the Union’s District Six region, which covers Cheshire, Halton, Isle of Man, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens & Newton, Warrington, and Wirral.

Debates during the weekend will range from management bullying to cover, but verbal abuse will dominate the agenda.

Chris Keates, NASUWT’s General Secretary, who will be speaking at the conference, said:

“Throughout the year I speak at regional conferences of members all over the country. Teachers attending raise a variety of issues but a common theme is always pupil behaviour and verbal abuse in particular.

“Constant challenges to authority, refusal to obey school rules, offensive remarks and swearing are marring teachers’ working lives. The extent of this behaviour is still underestimated.

“NASUWT has called for a national register of physical and verbal assaults on workers and has the backing of the TUC for this initiative.”

John Rimmer, NASUWT’s National Executive Member for the area, added:

“Teachers are still being subjected to verbal abuse and threatening behaviour on a daily basis. It continues to be one of the main reasons teachers leave the profession. A consistent strategy for dealing with pupils must be applied nationally.

“Governing bodies have a legal duty to ensure the safety of employees in the workplace and to report criminal acts that take place at the school to the police and ensure that where a teacher is physically assaulted by a pupil, that pupil is permanently excluded. Zero tolerance to verbal abuse and threatening behaviour is the only way forward.”

The Conference will also see the launch of the drama production Slipping Up, which is jointly funded by NASUWT, UNISON and NUT. The play addresses issues of risk assessment (stress and violence at work), older workers and the role of health and safety representatives in the workplace. There will be further speeches from Avis Gilmore, NASUWT’s North West Regional Organiser, and John Mayes, NASUWT’s Senior Vice-President.