To Strike Or Not To Strike?

Random Teachers' Room lockers

Last night the Teachers' Union announced a warning strike whereby primary and middle schools, and kindergartens would start at 11 am today instead of at 8 am. As Tuesdays are a half day anyway, ending anywhere between 12.45 and 1.30 depending on the individual school, this meant that many children wouldn't bother to go in at all.

The issue is that the teachers are not being paid their full salaries. The Treasury says it's a glitch in the computer programmes but it won't promise to fix the problem or pay back what the teachers are owed. I'm sure there must be more to this story. How can they not fix it and pay back what the teachers are owed? On the other hand, this is Israel so maybe this is the case. Who knows. If I find out I'll tell you.

DD was supposed to go on an outing today to the Biblelands Museum. This was canceled as they had to inform the bus company by last night. However, we went to bed last night not knowing whether the strike would happen or not. They always try to negotiate through the night and the final decision is announced on the 7 am news.

So you have to wake up at 7 am anyway. The news was that nothing had been decided and they were taking it to court now. Tune in again at 8 am. I didn't bother to wake DD and just went back to bed with my phone on the bedside table so that I'd hear Whatsapp messages coming in. At 8.40 the message came through - the courts have banned the strike and school will start at 9 am. The Museum outing is still canceled even though they were only planning to leave school at 9 am.

Well blow that for a lark. I woke DD up at 9.30 and we made it into school for 10. It was nice having a lie in on the second day back after the holiday. DD was not satisfied with the extra couple of hours in bed however, and I heard that many other children tried to stage their own counter-strike. Unfortunately most mothers have to go to work and the afternoon programmes were still running till 4.30 so the little ones had to go to school albeit for a shorter day. I have to be in college from 12.30 till 3.30 on a Tuesday so DD wasn't getting a whole day at home.

I was supposed to do my 'kiss and go' duty outside school from 7.30 - 8.15 this morning. I don't know what you call it in the UK or USA but you help the kids out of the cars in front of the school gates so they can just kiss their parent-driver and the parent can drive off without parking or holding up traffic. Well I got out of that so thanks for that small gift to me TU.

I can't find any information about whether anything was solved or promised. I think not as the court ordered the teachers not to strike. I know it messes everyone about but I hate the early mornings in the cold mid-winter so I'm up for strikes, snow days, whatever's on offer. The more the better, I'm not fussy.