Swansea: Teaching union calls off strike that came after teacher 'dismissed for breaking up fight'

September 19, 2023

Teachers in Swansea have called off strike action that followed the alleged dismissal of a teacher for breaking up a fight between two pupils.

Members of the NASUWT teaching union had been on strike since 12 September, when its offer to Swansea Council was rejected.

The NASUWT said the offer would have resolved "the dispute and [had] no detrimental effect on the school at its centre" and "allowed Swansea Council to regain the trust of teachers by ensuring that the Council adheres to collective agreements".

Hundreds of secondary teachers in the city previously walked out in July over the dispute.

The union now says the dispute has been resolved and it hailed the result as a "fantastic outcome".

It is not clear, however, whether the teacher at the centre of the dispute has got his job back.

Neil Butler, the union's official for Wales, said secondary teachers in Swansea had "faced mounting stress and uncertainty over their rights at work" over a period of months.

"The council's decision to honour existing collective agreements and repair the damage done by breaking one of these will bring feelings of relief to many, but it should never have come to this," he said.

"Now it is time for Swansea Council to begin the essential work of restoring their relationships with teachers."

The NASUWT said its members in Swansea took action over adverse employer practices, threats to job security and the council's failure to comply with existing collective agreements.

Mr Butler previously said teachers "must be confident" they will be supported when they intervene in violent incidents "to keep themselves and their pupils safe".

The disagreement was claimed to be over an incident involving a male teacher who pulled two male students apart when they were engaged in a physical fight.

According to the union, the teacher was disciplined but later exonerated on appeal before a second appeal led to his dismissal.

A spokesperson for Swansea Council said it refutes "any allegation of employer abuse, victimisation or failure to comply with employment agreements with teachers".

The council said it could not comment on the specifics of the individual case for legal reasons.

Read more from Sky News:
Petition to scrap default 20mph speed limit in Wales breaks record
Welsh government plans to increase Senedd members by over 50%

Sky News has asked Swansea Council for a further statement after the strike action was called off.

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