You wouldn't believe it was possible to sling mud all the way from Llandudno to Harrogate, but as the annual ritual of the Easter teacher conferences draws to a close this week there's been a fair few bucketfuls chucked in the direction of the National Union of Teachers.
Usually the "whingeing teachers" are all lumped together as far as parents and members of the public are concerned. But this year the two largest unions have grown further apart on the key issue of performance-related pay in a move that seems more significant than the usual publicity-seeking bickering.
The leaders of the second largest organisation - the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers - have distanced themselves from the giant NUT over the latter's decision to vote in favour of the first national strike in state schools for more than 30 years. The decision was forced through because it was backed by inner-city branches with powerful block votes - whose members included the minority of militant delegates who staged a walkout of the speech given at the weekend by school standards minister Estelle Morris.
Members of the public may well be mystified as to why teachers are kicking up such a fuss about the chance to earn more money. But the NUT objects to the new pay system - being introduced in September - which links teachers' pay to pupil performance for the first time. Classroom teachers are invited to apply to cross a 'threshold' which will give them an automatic pay rise of £2,000 and the chance to go onto a higher pay scale. The NUT fears this will be divisive, setting teacher against teacher.
The NASUWT itself has hardly been enthusiastic about the proposals, but it has accepted the broader principle of performance-related pay even if it still objects to pay rises being linked to classroom tests and results. Its general secretary Nigel de Gruchy has fiercely criticised the NUT's position, which involves remaining publicly opposed to performance-related pay while nevertheless encouraging its members to apply for the pay rise. Yesterday he called the stance "fundamentally inconsistent and dishonourable" which would bring the entire profession into disrepute.
Over the last few days, it has been claimed that the NUT has boosted its membership by as many as 10,000 extra teachers because of its tough line on performance-related pay. But its militant tendency are in danger of making the entire union look dangerously out of date and old-fashioned. The NASUWT's approach is more pragmatic and realistic. It is unlikely that we will see the NUT strike actually materialise.
