Ask the union Female colleague paid less
MY female colleague does the same job as a male colleague, but he is paid more than her. He applied as an external candidate and the job was offered at a higher salary to attract more candidates. Three years on, the situation is the same. Should institutions take action to change such disparities? You’re right to raise this issue. Women and men should receive equal pay for equal work. Equal work is ‘like work’, ‘work of equal value’ or ‘work rated as equivalent’. n ‘Like work’ is work where the job is the same or broadly similar. n ‘Work of equal value’ is work that is not similar but is of equal value because the level of skill, training, responsibility or demands of the working conditions are of equal value. n ‘Work rated as equivalent’ is usually using a fair job evaluation, where the level of skill, responsibility and effort needed to do the work are equivalent. The reason given by the college for the disparity is unlikely to be lawful. An employer can only pay a woman less than a man for doing equal work if it can prove that the difference in pay is not due to their different sex, is not directly or indirectly discriminatory, and is proportionate – for example, where more pay is justified because the man genuinely has significantly greater experience than the woman. If your colleague is not willing to raise the issue alone, you could speak to your NEU rep, without disclosing your colleague’s details, and ask the employer to provide evidence that it is taking steps to identify and remove pay disparities between men’s and women’s pay. A union meeting might disclose that there are other examples of unequal pay in your workplace. Pay arrangements in the workplace should be transparent, with information on the pay policy available to all staff, and regular consultation on the pay policy with union reps and members. Your colleague should seek advice from the union’s AdviceLine and further information can be found at bit.ly/36EVorL
Teaching pupils with challenging behaviour
I’M a primary school teacher and, over the last year, the behaviour of some children has worsened significantly. I’ve been spat at and threatened with scissors. I’m worried about my own safety and that of other children.
PHOTO by LaylaBird
This is a distressing and potentially dangerous situation. Members should get together to discuss practical proposals to put forward to management to make staff and other students feel safe. Check whether the school’s behaviour policy is being applied consistently. Members could request an individual pupil behaviour risk assessment – visit bit.ly/3rg7fpJ – and be involved in deciding what measures should be instigated pending the anticipated professional support. If there is a violence at work policy, this should also be consulted. Make sure all incidents are reported and that there is appropriate support for victims. Except in emergency situations, staff are likely to be in breach of contract if they refuse to teach or work with particular pupils. Industrial action to refuse to teach cannot be taken until relevant procedures, including an industrial action ballot, have been followed and union rules satisfied. For further information, contact the NEU AdviceLine.
Induction as a supply teacher
I’M an early career teacher (ECT) and have struggled to find a permanent role. Does supply work contribute to the induction period and, if so, what are the practicalities? Yes, ECTs – formerly called newly qualified teachers – can start or continue their
induction while doing supply work, so long as the period of employment is for a minimum contract length of one full induction term. This cannot be a series of short-term supply contracts adding up to a term, as induction must be planned and structured in advance and must take place in a stable environment to allow for fair and accurate assessment. A supply teacher on a contract of one term or more should be treated in the same way as a permanent employee by the head teacher for the purposes of induction. For early career teachers starting their induction from September 2021, the induction period has increased from three to six terms. Teachers who participated in the early rollout o f the Early Career Framework (ECF) in 2020-21 have access to the support package, but their induction will be completed in one year. Anyone who started and paused induction before September 2021 must complete a one-year induction by September 2023. After that date, six terms of induction would need to be completed. In Wales, induction arrangements are not changing and all supply work can count towards induction. n Visit neu.org.uk/induction
Please email educate@neu.org.uk
educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)
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