It's not about whether teachers get a cushy deal, it's about the validity of contracts, specifically the contract that says 'I will spend most of my time working for you, in return for which you will give me X'. We are repeatedly told that PFI contracts can never be changed, or that aircraft carriers must be built even if not required, or that train franchises need to be longer, but public sector employment terms and conditions are routinely shat all over by the simple expedient of transferring employment to a private company, thus breaking the contract even if the staff do the same job with the same title after transfer.
It's happened to cleaners and council staff, and now it's happening to teachers.
For schools becoming academies, the teacher's contract with the LEA is ripped up and they are employed directly by the school. Which means the easiest way for a head to meet his budget is to let all experienced staff go and hire rookies at lower rates than they would have got had they come via the LA. And an unscrupulous head could award himself a fat bonus for doing so.
Wouldn't it be great if the government could rip up PFI contracts because shares being sold on by the original bidder meant they (the gov) were 'no longer dealing with the original company as defined in the contract'?
I'm not Dave Spart, in fact, I'm an employer, and if I tried to pull this fast one on my staff they would have every right to walk out.
