Gove's war rhetoric hit by British union

Islam Times: The Britain's leading teachers' unions angrily attacked Gove's shocking remarks, accusing the unions of risking the reputation of their members by holding militant demonstration and offered the parents to break the protest by urging the schools to stay open on June 30.

It is predicted that thousands of schools across England and Wales would close on the 30th of June, as the country's leading teaching unions have planned to partake against the government's plans to change their pensions.

‘I do worry that taking industrial action, being on the picket line, being involved in this sort of militancy will actually mean that the respect in which teachers should be held is taken back a little bit,’ Gove said.

Claiming that he did not want to get into an argument with the unions, Gove added: ‘The public have a very low tolerance for anything that disrupts their hard-working lifestyles.’

Mary Bousted, the head of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: ‘I think the threat to get parents to cover teachers is just ludicrous, the idea that children can usefully spend time in school being baby-sat ups the ante even more. This is inflammatory and it is inept. Michael Gove's intervention is further evidence of ineptitude and cack-handedness.’

‘The last thing my members want to do is strike. This is the first time in 127 years. We're looking for the government to negotiate in good faith.’

UK's leading unions estimated that some ten million people would participate in the continuing wave of strikes against the government's austerity measures. They believe that June 30 would open the gate for the coming wave of protests, with unions vowing to make it the biggest day of action since the 1926 general strike.
© Islam Times