Swansea: Hundreds of teachers strike over school brawl sacking

Hundreds of teachers are on strike after claims a colleague was sacked for breaking up a fight between two pupils.

The NASUWT union said its members voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action on Thursday.

More than half of Swansea's secondary schools are closed for a day, while others are partially shut.

Swansea council said it was "disappointed" by the union's decision to ballot and that it refuted all claims of employer abuse.

The union said the action was being taken after "adverse employer practices, threats to their job security and the failure of Swansea council to comply with existing collective agreements".

It said teachers should feel "supported when they intervene to keep themselves and their pupils safe".

The row is claimed to be about a male teacher who pulled apart two boys fighting.

According to the union, the teacher was disciplined but then exonerated on appeal, before a second appeal led him to be dismissed.

NASUWT Wales representative, Neil Butler, said the union "does not recognise the outcome of the second appeal".

"Our members are very angry about this, it's outrageous on a number of levels.

"The reason this is a wider problem is that we know that violence and aggression in schools has gotten worse, so teachers needing to intervene in physical situations is getting more common.

"They are already very, very nervous to do that because lay a hand on a child and you've got child protection procedures.

"But in law, teachers do have the right to use reasonable force to protect children and stop them beating each other up."

The union is in a dispute with three other secondary schools elsewhere in Wales over issues of dealing with poor pupil behaviour.

General secretary for NASUWT Patrick Roach said the union would not hesitate to take further industrial action "should Swansea council fail to demonstrate they respect and will uphold agreements relating to teachers' contracts".

A rally was held by about 50 teachers outside Swansea Guildhall on Thursday.

There, Swansea primary school teacher Julie Bowen said she was worried about job security: "What's gone on with a fellow member has sent shockwaves, really.

"We are under extreme pressure as teachers and I want to stand in solidarity with another member of the union who, in my opinion, has been treated extremely unfairly".

Emma Rees, a fellow primary school teacher, added: "We're all really worried about the situation that we're in.

"We want to stand together to make sure that we're protected in our workplace."

Swansea Council said: "We are extremely disappointed that the NASUWT has embarked on this course of action in our secondary schools which will only serve to deny children of educational opportunities.

"We refute any allegation of employer abuse, victimisation or failure to comply with employment agreements with teachers which they will need to substantiate.

"This dispute is based on an individual case and while this continues, for legal reasons and to protect the integrity of the processes, we cannot comment on specifics."