Harrogate district teachers set to strike for third time

Teachers at schools across the Harrogate district are staging another walkout tomorrow.

Members of the National Education Union are striking tomorrow and Thursday in a dispute over pay.

The union argues a 5% pay rise in 2022 was insufficient to combat the impact of inflation at 10%, leaving many teachers effectively facing a pay cut.

The move will affect education across the district, with some pupils taking lessons remotely.

How Harrogate district schools are affected

Tomorrow, Harrogate Grammar School pupils in years 9, 11 and 13 will be asked to attend school as normal.

However, those in years 7, 8, 10 and 12 will take lessons remotely.

On March 16, years 10, 11 and 13 will be asked to attend school while years 7, 8, 9 and 12 will work from home.

Meanwhile, St Aidan’s Church of England High School has told parents it will “endeavour to provide their usual suite of lessons” for those who are required to attend school.

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Years 8, 9, 11 and 12 have been told they should take lessons at home, while years 7, 10 and 13 should attend as normal on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the school has informed years 7, 9, 10 and 13 to work from home while year 8, 11 and 12 should attend lessons.

Elsewhere, Rossett School has informed parents that it intends to keep the same arrangements for both strike days.

The school said:

“As a leadership team, we have decided that Year 8, 11, 12 & 13 will be in school and Year 7, 9, and 10  will be working remotely.”

St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate will remain open to year 11 and 13 only on March 15 and year 10 and 12 on March 16.

Outwood Academy in Ripon will remain open to year 9, 11 and vulnerable students tomorrow.

On March 16, it will be open to year 11 and year 10. Other pupils not due in school will be expected to work from home on both strike days.

Details of how other secondary schools are affected will be posted as we get them.

Junior doctors begin strike at Harrogate District Hospital

Junior doctors formed a large picket line on Wetherby Road in Harrogate this morning as a 72-hour strike got underway.

Up to 61,000 junior or trainee doctors began a walkout at 7am today in a dispute over pay.

Many cars sounded their horns in support of those taking part in today’s action on Wetherby Road, close to Harrogate District Hospital.

The British Medical Association and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association have defied calls from Health Secretary Steve Barclay to call off the strike.

They are calling for a 26% pay increase to “reverse the steep decline in pay faced by junior doctors since 2008/9”, according to the BMA.

A statement on Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust‘s website says the strike will impact services to patients. It says:

“Outpatients appointments and planned activity may be affected.

“Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will be re-arranging any postponed appointments as a priority.

“We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes, and key services will continue to operate.”

The full statement is here.

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Harrogate hospital braced for disruption ahead of junior doctors strike

Harrogate District Hospital has pledged to minimise disruption as junior doctors prepare to stage a 72-hour walkout.

The British Medical Association announced last Friday junior doctors will go on strike from March 13 to 15 in a dispute over pay.

It’s the latest strike action set to hit the hospital after nurses walked out last month. Ambulance workers, teachers, rail workers and postal staff have also gone on strike in the Harrogate district in recent months.

Of the 37,000 votes cast in the BMA industrial ballot on February 20, 98% voted in favour of industrial action.

A spokesperson for the organisation said they had been left with “no option” but to strike after pay negotiations with the health secretary broke down.

A total of 145 junior doctors work at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust. However, it is unclear how many will walk out.

The trust said it was working on plans to minimise disruption caused by the industrial action.

It urged people to continue to come forward for emergency care. But, the trust warned some outpatient appointments may be affected.

A spokesperson for HDFT said:

“We are working hard to ensure there is minimal disruption to patient care and that emergency services continue to operate as normal.

“We are currently developing our plans for the propose action and its impact on our services, patients or staff.

“Outpatients appointments and planned activity may be affected. Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will be re-arranging any postponed appointments as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes, and key services will continue to operate.”

It comes after industrial action by the Royal College of Nursing due to take place this week was suspended after talks reopened with Health Secretary Steve Barclay.

Nurses at Harrogate hospital had planned strike action from today for 72 hours.

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Teachers in Harrogate district set to strike for second time

Teachers in the Harrogate district are set to go on strike tomorrow.

Members of the National Education Union will walk out on Tuesday in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The union argues a 5% pay rise in 2022 was insufficient to combat the impact of inflation at 10%, leaving many teachers effectively facing a pay cut.

The move will affect education across the district, with some pupils taking lessons remotely.

How Harrogate district schools are affected

Harrogate Grammar School pupils in years 10, 11 and 13 will be asked to attend school as normal.

However, those in years 7, 8, 9 and 12 will take lessons remotely where a teacher is not on strike.

Meanwhile, St Aidan’s Church of England High School has told parents it will “endeavour to provide their usual suite of lessons” for those who are required to attend school.

Years 8, 10 and 11 have been told they should take lessons at home, while years 7 and 9 should attend as normal.

The school has told year 12 pupils that while they are not “obliged to attend school”, a study area will be provided if they notify school that they wish to attend.

In a letter to parents, it added:

“These arrangements apply to both St Aidan’s and St John Fisher students in the Associated Sixth Form. Year 12 students should inform their home school of their intention to attend, should that be the case.”

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Elsewhere, Rossett School has informed parents that it intends to repeat the same arrangements as the last teachers strike.

The school said:

“As a leadership team, we have decided to repeat the arrangements from the last strike day of Year 7, 11, 12 & 13 in school and Year 8, 9, and 10 working remotely.”

St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate will remain open to year 7 and 13 only.

In Knaresborough, King James’s School has advised that school will be closed to all students, apart from year 11 and sixth form who should continue to attend.

Outwood Academy in Ripon will remain open to year 11 and vulnerable students. Other year groups will be expected to complete work from home.

Details of how other secondary schools are affected will be posted as we get them.

Ambulance workers in Harrogate district on strike again today

Ambulance workers in the Harrogate district are staging another one-day strike today.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service staff who are members of the GMB union have set-up another picket line outside the ambulance station on Lancaster Park Road in Harrogate, close to the hospital.

Paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff are among those taking part in the industrial action, although ambulance workers will continue to respond to the most serious incidents.

Further ambulance strikes are planned on March 6 and 20 and Harrogate District Hospital will be hit by a two-day nurses’ strike beginning on March 1.

GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison urged the government to “talk pay now” and claimed ministers were unwilling to solve the dispute.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the strikes “only cause further disruption for patients” and he remained “keen to keep talking to unions about what is fair and affordable”.

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Harrogate hospital nurses to strike again next month

Nurses at Harrogate District Hospital will stage another 48-hour walk-out next month.

The Royal College of Nursing has announced further nationwide industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The strike, which will include nurses at 128 NHS hospitals, will take place from Wednesday, March 1.

Speaking following the announcement, Pat Cullen, chief executive at the RCN, said:

“It is with a heavy heart that I have today asked even more nursing staff to join this dispute.

“These strikes will not just run for longer and involve more people but will leave no area of the NHS unaffected. Patients and nurses alike did not want this to happen.

“By refusing to negotiate with nurses, the Prime Minister is pushing even more people into the strike. He must listen to NHS leaders and not let this go ahead.

“I will do whatever I can to ensure patient safety is protected. At first, we asked thousands to keep working during the strikes but it’s clear that is only prolonging the dispute. This action must not be in vain – the Prime Minister owes them an answer.”

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The move comes as nurses in Harrogate have staged two walkouts since January.

Staff staged the industrial action outside the hospital on Lancaster Park Road.

Meanwhile, on February 6, nurses walked out alongside ambulance workers from Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Why are Harrogate district teachers going on strike?

Teachers in state schools in the Harrogate district will strike tomorrow.

It means that schools will either close for the day or see classrooms disrupted if they decide to remain open.

The National Education Union, which is the largest teaching union in the country, is behind the industrial action that will affect schools in England and Wales.

Ninety percent of its 120,000 members voted to strike in a ballot.

It’s the latest strike to hit the UK this winter that has also seen nurses, rail workers, postal staff and paramedics join picket lines.

Why are teachers striking?

Most state school teachers in England and Wales had a 5% pay rise rise in 2022. But with inflation at over 10%, the NEU says this has resulted in a real-term pay cut for teachers.

The union also says teachers have lost 23% in real-terms pay since 2010, which it described as an “unsustainable situation”.

It believes low pay has led to thousands of teachers leaving the profession, including a third of those who have recently qualified.

Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said:

“The government must know there is going to have to be a correction on teacher pay. They must realise that school support staff need a pay rise.

“If they do not, then the consequences are clear for parents and children. The lack of dedicated maths teachers, for example, means that 1 in 8 pupils are having work set and assessed by people who are not qualified in the teaching of maths. Anyone who values education should support us in this dispute because that is what we are standing up for.”

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How will classrooms be affected?

A final decision on whether a school stays open is up the headteacher, although government guidance says they should take “all reasonable steps” to ensure they do not close.

Teachers are not required to tell the school if they intend to strike but headteachers can ask them in advance to help preparations.

For schools that remain open, other teachers may be asked to cover the classes of those taking industrial action. Classes may also be combined.

The government says if a school possible it should, where possible, provide online learning for children.

What does the government say and will the dispute be resolved?

If the union doesn’t reach an agreement over pay with the government, there are three more days of industrial action planned at schools in Yorkshire on the following dates:

Tuesday February 28
Wednesday March 15
Thursday March 16

But like similar disputes with health and rail unions, the government is so far holding firm against calls to increase teachers’ pay.

The secretary of state for education, Gillian Keegan, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph over the weekend she was “disappointed” that this week’s strike was going ahead but she wanted to continue “constructive discussions” on pay.

Ms Keegan says the government has provided an extra £2bn in school funding, which she believes meets union demands.

There are reports in the media that Ms Keegan will meet with union bosses today in an attempt to avert Wednesday’s strikes.

If the talks are unsuccessful, we will be seeing the highly unusual sight of picket lines outside schools in North Yorkshire this week.

Harrogate head torn between ‘head and heart’ over teacher strike

A Harrogate headteacher has said he is torn between his head and heart over this week’s teacher strike.

Children in years seven to 10 and year 12 at Harrogate Grammar School will study remotely from home on Wednesday when the first of four days of planned industrial action take place.

Pupils in years 11 and 13 will attend school as usual and have lessons if teachers are not striking.

Speaking on the BBC News channel today, headteacher Neil Renton said half of the school’s 115 staff belonged to the National Education Union, whose members had balloted in favour of the strikes.

Mr Renton said that as head he was keen to ensure the school stayed open but at the same time he could see the issues teachers faced and he therefore had conflicting emotions between his head and heart.

He said “there are just not enough teachers out there” and added one recent vacancy for an English teacher at the 2,000-pupil school attracted just one application.

Mr Renton, who said the union he belonged to would not be on strike this week, said too many teachers were leaving the profession. He added:

“If this continues and we are not able to work with government and ministers to create an education for the future I would, as an educator, want to take steps to make sure we make a much brighter education for our children.”

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First ever nurses’ strike begins at Harrogate hospital

Nurses at Harrogate District Hospital have gone on strike today for the first time ever.

A picket line is in place outside the hospital on Lancaster Park Road for the first of two 12-hour strikes called by the Royal College of Nursing.

Surgical nurses, paediatric nurses and accident and emergency nurses were among those taking part in this morning’s industrial action. Some passing vehicles sounded their horns in support of the strikers.

Amanda Brown and Andy Law, RCN officers from Leeds who joined Harrogate nurses on the picket line this morning, told the Stray Ferret the action was necessary because the NHS is “broken”.

Mr Law added the NHS was short of 47,000 nurses — up by 7,000 on a year ago.

Although the strike will disrupt some services for patients, Ms Brown said people requiring urgent care would not be affected:

“We’ve ensured staffing levels are safe.”

Today’s action is the latest wave of industrial action in the Harrogate district. Ambulance workers, rail workers and postal workers have all been on strike this winter.

Pat Cullen, the RCN’s general secretary and chief executive, has warned the strikes could escalate in the weeks ahead if a settlement isn’t reached.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said “unaffordable” pay rises for nurses would prevent investment in the NHS.

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Why are nurses going on strike in Harrogate?

Nurses working at Harrogate District Hospital will take part in industrial action on Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19 due to a pay and conditions dispute with the government that has rumbled on all winter.

It’s taking place after members of the Royal College of Nursing union who work for Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust voted to strike last year.

Harrogate is one of 70 trusts in England that will strike as part of the largest organised action in NHS history.

Here is everything you need to know about the nurses strike.

When is the strike?

The strikes will take place from 7.15am to 8.15pm on both days and there will be a picket line outside the hospital on Lancaster Park Road.

Two days of strikes were held in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on December 15 and 20 but Harrogate nurses did not take part.

What services will be affected?

During the December strikes, thousands of appointments across the country were cancelled or postponed. A trust spokesperson said the hospital will contact patients that have appointments on strike days to let them know if they are still going ahead.

All life-preserving treatment must be provided and nurses in intensive and emergency care will be expected to continue working.

Harrogate District Hospital, Lancaster Park Road.

Harrogate District Hospital, Lancaster Park Road.

However, routine operations such as hip or knee replacements are likely to be affected.

A trust spokesperson said:

“We are working to ensure there is safe patient care and that emergency services continue to operate during any industrial action, and have plans in place to mitigate the impact of disruption on direct patient care.

“If you have an appointment or operation that is scheduled on a proposed strike day we would kindly ask you to be patient and we will notify you as soon as possible to confirm if your consultation or treatment will be affected.

“The industrial action will see a picket line outside our hospital in Harrogate and we will be working with local RCN representatives to minimise any disruption this may cause for residents in the vicinity and visitors to our hospital.”

Why are nurses striking?

According to the royal college, 25,000 nursing staff around the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register last year. It’s left hospitals with staff shortages which the union feels has compromised patient safety.

The union argues that many people are leaving the profession or deciding to work for private providers due to low pay within the NHS. It has repeatedly called for a pay increase of 5% above inflation.

However, the government says this increase would be unaffordable to tax payers.

Royal College of Nursing general secretary and chief executive, Pat Cullan, said: 

“The government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January. I do not wish to prolong this dispute but the Prime Minister has left us with no choice.

“The public support has been heart-warming and I am more convinced than ever that this is the right thing to do for patients and the future of the NHS.

“The voice of nursing will not be ignored. Staff shortages and low pay make patient care unsafe – the sooner ministers come to the negotiating table, the sooner this can be resolved. I will not dig in, if they don’t dig in.”

When will the dispute be resolved?

The royal college is yet to reach an agreement with the government over the dispute but talks have been ongoing since December’s strikes.

The government has raised the possibility of a one-off hardship payment to nursing staff but an offer has not been made.

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In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

“The door has always been open to talk about the things that nurses want to talk about.”

A trust spokesperson said:

“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we greatly value our staff and want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering high quality patient care to all those who need it.

“We understand the importance of good pay and conditions for individuals and their families, as well as wider NHS staff retention and recruitment.”