Teachers at a secondary school in south London will strike for two days after Jamaican staff were “targeted” by their bosses and underpaid thousands of pounds, the National Education Union (NEU) has said.
Staff at Harris Beckenham will begin strike action on Tuesday after complaining about being “severely overworked to the point of exhaustion,” having to deal with an unacceptable management style, as well as breaches of union rights.
The Harris Federation, which is the UK’s second-largest academy chain, previously came under fire after being accused of paying Jamaican teachers less than their British colleagues.
“We wholly refute any allegations of racism. We are extremely proud of our excellent cadre of Jamaican teachers whom we train, develop and promote within our schools. Their pay and conditions are exactly the same as others in the same position,” a spokesperson for the Harris Federation said.
The academy chain actively recruits overseas-trained teachers from Jamaica who come to the UK on work visas, the NEU said.
The Harris Federation committed to addressing the poor pay of its Jamaican teachers in March, but union leaders say that many Harris Beckenham teachers have been denied their fair pay, with some underpaid by up to £10,000.
Jamaican teachers at the academy in Beckenham have also complained about unnecessary scrutiny and bullying, with their teaching closely monitored and many facing excessive lesson observations.
One teacher who was fired from the school described how she was let go just months before she was due to have a baby.
The former teacher, who is Jamaican, said: “What they did to me was cruel. I was five months pregnant when they let me go and most of the things they said weren’t even true.
“I wanted to challenge it legally but the whole process was traumatising and I feared the stress would affect my baby.”
“We are constantly criticised and set up to fail,” another Jamaican teacher explained. “They set us targets but the goalposts are always moving.
“You meet one target, and they set another. It makes you constantly second-guess yourself. It erodes you as a teacher.”
Teachers have also complained about their workload at the school, with the NEU reporting that almost 90% of teachers were stressed, with many struggling to sleep and having headaches.
The union has also calculated that teachers at Harris Beckenham are working 95 hours over their recommended limit for the academic year and are having to do extra tasks such as attendance calls and filling out forms for school trips.
The Beckenham teachers have also said they are routinely asked to provide cover for their colleagues, sometimes on an almost daily basis.
A recent National Education Union (NEU) survey found that 80% of teachers at the school are thinking of leaving.
Union members have also complained that the Harris Federation has intervened to stop staff from exercising their trade union rights.
The NEU claimed that Harris has stopped its officers from accessing the school, attempted to cancel union members’ meetings, and denied representatives the chance to attend training.
Izzy Hickmett, the Bromley NEU Branch Secretary, said: “We are seeing teachers who are severely overworked to the point they are experiencing stress and exhaustion.
“They are facing bullying from management who target overseas trained teachers from Jamaica who are vulnerable due to their visa status.
“When our members try to stand up against this, they are experiencing unacceptable management behaviour."
A spokesperson for the Harris Federation said: “In common with almost every other school in London, we are restructuring our team to be able to afford the unfunded National Insurance increases and national pay awards that the NEU campaigned for and the government has introduced. Likewise, in common with most other academy trusts, the NEU is looking to disrupt the very strong working relationship we have with our loyal, dedicated and hard working staff.
“The Academy will remain fully open throughout the period of strike action and a full school day will operate.
“We wholly refute any allegations of racism. We are extremely proud of our excellent cadre of Jamaican teachers whom we train, develop and promote within our schools. Their pay and conditions are exactly the same as others in the same position.
“As ever, the NEU are more concerned with creating dissent than teaching children."
