Now -read the book!

Here is a link to my memoirs which, if you are a glutton for punishment, you can purchase online at https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/an-obscure-footnote-in-trade-union-history.
Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and when it comes turns out not to be what they meant, and other men have to fight for what they meant under another name. (William Morris - A Dream of John Ball)

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Suspended in a Rubber Room?

You haven't inadvertently found the wrong bit of t'intraweb!



The New York Teachers' Union have done a deal to limit the amount of time that teachers can be suspended when facing allegations of misconduct (http://www.uft.org/news/issues/press/city_and_uft_reach_agreement_on_rubber_rooms/).



Whilst I confess that the Grauniad headline on this (http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&story=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/16/new-york-teacher-rubber-rooms) caught my eye largely for its suggestion of some of the weirder aspects of 24 hour Brixton ("rubber rooms" sound like some aspect of nocturnal clubbing of which I am too old/boring to be aware!), the story itself is nevertheless very relevant to everyday life in the local authority for which I work - and also to many other public service employers.



If we want to eliminate real "waste" from our public services - rather than simply cutting jobs - then a similar clampdown on lengthy suspensions would be a minor step in the right direction. I shall be interested to learn whether the approach taken in New York bears fruit.



And to hear from any readers who have achieved similar things in this country...

Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

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