By Anne Southern
PEOPLE of my age are increasingly agreed that we are the golden generation. Of course this only applies to the most privileged of pensioners – those of us who had a free university education (quite a small percentage in the 60s and 70s) those who manged to rise through the professions by training on the job, and those who managed to get on the housing ladder in spite of interest rates that would be considered eye-watering by today’s standards. Inflation, the big bad wolf that must be defeated at all costs was our friend.
When I bought my first house in Jersey in 1975 for what seemed the enormous sum of around £15,000 the mortgage payment was virtually the whole of my teacher’s salary. This would have been unsustainable had it not been for inflation in double figures which was matched by equivalent salary increases.
Within a very short time the interest payments went down to half my salary and then to such a small proportion of my civil servant husband’s salary that I was able to take extended unpaid maternity leave, still in my twenties, and soon after that move to a bigger house. To today’s public sector workers this must seem like a fairy tale.
The gold dust continued to be scattered. Our salaries always kept pace with inflation apart from on one memorable occasion when all teachers were assembled (during working hours) and asked to show forbearance as the government finances were in a bit of a mess, as demonstrated with colourful graphs. Being essentially compliant people (and with union leaders who were subsequently all given promotions) we agreed, only to feel a bit aggrieved when government finances were shown to be in a much better position only a few months later.
Twice we even had at least two inflation-busting pay rises, once in exchange for having lunch duties as part of our contracts after the threat of withdrawing them as part of a dispute had quickly resulted in our demands being met. The second time was to allow us to share in the general prosperity, with the introduction of an upper pay scale based on an annual performance review. Progression, we were then told, would be almost automatic if our managers had been doing their jobs properly.
So pay levels were pretty good when I retired in 2008 on my final salary pension. After that, for some reason, pay did not keep pace. As president of what was then the local branch of the NUT, and working closely with other union leaders as part of the Teacher’s Panel, I took part in tough pay negotiations. Our employers were obdurate: there was no money; there was no hope of improving conditions. So for the first time in about 20 years, strike action was threatened.
This resulted in last-minute talks in London with national officials, leading to a breakthrough deal. Giving teachers a proper lunchtime break, free of duties had been impossible; suddenly it was not only possible, but was happening. Lunchtime supervisors could be employed after all. So though there was no more pay on the table, at least there was some acknowledgment of the benefit to teachers of a proper lunchtime break – which may come as news to some young teachers, whose lunchtime has been shortened, or who have been put under pressure to run lunchtime clubs.
After that, negotiations were a joke. We met only civil servants with no authority to increase a derisory offer, whereas previously the Chief Minister had been prepared to look us in the eye. ‘There is no money,’ they said. ‘But teachers need their pay levels maintained,’ we said. ‘There are problems with recruitment and retention,’ we said. Nothing moved them, even unprecedented strike action.
Since then teachers’ pay has been steadily eroded till we are in the situation where, as I write, they are threatening further strike action.
Inflation is no longer the worker’s friend; it is impoverishing. But it is not caused, and would not be made worse, by giving workers inflation-linked pay rises. It is caused by businesses putting up prices and increasing their profits. That is where action needs to be taken.
Who would be a teacher now? As workloads have increased and the job become less enjoyable due to prescriptive teaching programmes, their pay has been eroded to the point where only those with helpful parents or rich partners can afford to live here.
Surely the States Employment Board can see that paying for expensive supply teachers from UK agencies does not represent value for money or contribute to satisfactory educational outcomes. In the past, students were taught by enthusiastic specialist teachers. Who knows the long-term consequences of allowing standards to fall, as they inevitably will?
Meanwhile, the ‘golden age’ teachers enjoy their inflation-linked pensions as we spend our retirements globe-trotting and engaging in fulfilling hobbies. Let us hope that those still toiling at the chalk-face have their voices heard, and get the rewards that they are entitled to.
