What's so special about the teachers? Question Time June 30

With public sector pensions and teacher strikes on the agenda for on last night's (June 30 2011) Question Time, we could be sure of a heated debate and plenty of participation from  the audience in Birmingham.  As a first time voter, the profession of teaching is one of significant relevance to myself, having just gone through the final stages of school life, with the emotions of teachers, as well as pupils, coming into the spotlight.

For me, the panel's government representative Philip Hammond was on the back foot throughout the debate, with John Denham the Shadow Business Secretary continuously applying pressure over the way the government had acted with regards to the increase in teacher pensions. Denham stressed the government should take ‘more responsibility’ for their actions in the past year. Adding to the pressure was a member of the audience who directed his argument at Hammond stating, ‘public sector workers will not allow the government to walk over them and affect future generations’. Finally Christine Blower, general secretary of NUT concluded this argument describing how the government were ‘discussing but not listening’, implying a clear lack of consideration on the part of teachers by the government.            

It was Richard Lambert (former head of CBI), however, who I reckon raised the most important point.  He acknowledged the uncomfortable position for teachers, but suggested that the decrease in pensions is just a sign of the dramatic change in a typical working life. He pointed to the reality that people nowadays are simply living longer and that there are only four things the government can realistically impose: for people to work longer; pay greater contributions to pensions; accept a smaller pension; or rely more heavily on the taxpayer.

The big question I think however, is one which is similar to a question raised by a member of the audience at the start of the programme, ‘what message are teachers sending to their pupils by going on strike’. Were these strikes justified? One thing Hammond and Denham both managed to agree on was that these strikes were wrong, forcing many parents to take the day off work, and children to miss a day's teaching. 

As a first time voter, I can't help but agree with a point raised by a member of the audience: ‘why are teachers so special?’ emphasising the minimal regard shown to the rest of the public sector workers.  Actually, my teachers are rather special but few of them went out on strike!