“I hereby resign from the party with immediate effect. As a teacher, it is now impossible for me to continue being a member of the party I have voted for in every election – both local and national – since I got the right to vote.” This is written by Christoffer Hansen, who is a teacher at Charlottenlund secondary school in Trondheim. He published the post on Facebook on Tuesday evening – shortly after the government chose to stop the teacher’s strike with a forced wage board. The strike has lasted since June, with gradual withdrawals. When it ended, over 8,000 teachers had gone on strike. Many pupils have lost 30 school days as a result of the strike. A breach of promise On Wednesday, Agnes Matre also sent her resignation to the Labor Party. – I sent a message this morning. They promised to invest in the teachers. So for me this is a kind of broken promise, says Matre, who is a teacher and shop steward at Hauge School in Haugesund. Breach of promise was what she stated as the reason for her resignation. – I received an answer that the withdrawal was registered, and that they had noted the reason. Matre says it’s nice to be back in the classroom, but that many in the teachers’ college have chosen to mark the day with a dress code. – We wear black here at school today, she says. Hansen from Trondheim has not himself been called out on strike. But that doesn’t make him any less desperate. He believes the government’s handling reinforces the experience of not being appreciated. – What I am most pissed off about is that a Labor government is taking this step – in a conflict that I believe is legal. Hansen himself has a total of ten years as a member of the party. He does not hide the fact that he does not achieve much by opting out. – For my part, it’s about pointing out that now it’s enough. I don’t think Ap has done enough for those teachers either, and I think in general that they have moved more and more away from ordinary people. The picture was taken during a strike marking in Trondheim. Photo: Eivind Aabakken – Thin basis The Trondheim teacher describes the basis for ending the strike as thin. – There is usually no interest in the vulnerable students – that is one part of it. The other is the salary bit – we have lost purchasing power every year. We don’t really feel that we are worth very much, says Hansen. – What do you think about how the students have been affected by the strike? – I think the students in question have many of the same problems in their everyday life as well. For some, being isolated at home is a worsening of the situation – I am not blind to that. But I think it should have been solved in a different way. There is some responsibility that rests on the parents as well. In the post, he writes that he expects the Labor Party to immediately set aside money for teachers to receive further training in psychology. “Since the government has now considered our job so important for pupils’ mental health that they go to the step of interfering in a legal labor dispute and ending it with a forced wage tribunal.” – What should have been done – when the parties have tried for so long without reaching an agreement? – I think the government should take the initiative. They should have come up with a solution, instead of resorting to forced wage boards after pressure from the outside world, says Hansen. A job to do The junior high school teacher doesn’t just want to resign from Ap – he is also considering quitting his job. And he is far from alone according to himself. – There is a lot of anger among people now. In any case, I could name 10-15 teachers at my job who are now considering changing jobs. – In the future, there is a job to be done, especially for state authorities. Fortunately, Tonje Brenna has acknowledged that today as well. On Wednesday morning, Education Minister Tonje Brenna said that the job of restoring trust is enormous. – Both between politicians at all levels and the teachers, but also that our entire system, from the school owner to the state, to the individual classroom, must work together – And I also don’t think we should underestimate how demanding it is to be a teacher. I think it has become more demanding in recent years. Therefore, there are several things we are working on – both what concerns the demands placed on the teachers from outside, and I also believe that we need to look at what is making it less good for teachers to be in the classroom. – A day of mourning Geir Tangen at Håvåsen school in Haugesund has been on strike since the first day of school after the summer holidays. He characterizes it as “dark” to return to work after the compulsory wage board. – It’s black, it’s heavy, it’s frustrating. This is a dark and sad day for schools in Norway, he says. Geir Tangen is a teacher at Håvåsen secondary school in Haugesund. Photo: Håkon Mannsåker / news For Tangen, who is also married to Matre, the teachers’ strike has been about pay, but it has also been about school quality. – When we are short of nurses, we do not employ nurses without nursing training. When you’re short of a dentist, you can’t put in a car mechanic. You can do that in a Norwegian school, he says. The conflict between the teachers and KS has not been resolved, he points out. – The problems in Norwegian schools are just as big today as they were yesterday. The only difference is that the teacher is back in the classroom. But Tangen gets a lump in his throat when he talks about meeting the students again. – I have no problems going in with a big smile and meeting them warmly. And the warmth is sincere. But the patience with my employer is at zero.
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Teachers opt out of Ap and several are considering quitting after the forced wage board in the teachers’ strike – news Trøndelag
