'Massive debate' in caller’s household after teacher didn’t tell her husband she was striking until last Friday

1 February 2023, 10:47 | Updated: 1 February 2023, 13:06

The teacher strikes have caused a 'massive debate' in this caller's household... 

On what has been dubbed ‘Walkout Wednesday’, this caller says his wife, a teacher, did not tell him she was striking until last Friday. He would be more “on board” with it if the motives were about funding for school kids, not pay.

A caller to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on LBC said he would agree more with teachers being on strike if the aims of the walkouts were more about “funding for the school kids” than better pay.

Chris in Norwich, whose wife is a teacher, said: “It’s causing a massive debate in our household. I can be quite opinionated in my point of view as much as she can.”

“She waited until Friday to tell me that she was striking…because she didn’t want me to argue with her”, he said, prompting laughter from both himself and Nick.

READ MORE: Walkout Wednesday live: Britain struck by biggest strike in a decade as 500,000 workers take action

“She’s asked me to get on board with her point of view”, Chris continued. “She said it's for the kids so they can have better school supplies and everything else.”

However, after researching more about the industrial action, he concluded: “Everything points to teachers wanting more wages.”

When he explained this to her, she told him: “They’re taking the 5pc pay rise out of the school budget.”

Chris went on: “As I’ve informed her, a business will run and take wages out of a budget that they have over the year. Of course it's then going to affect the kids because they then can't afford some of the supplies they need.”

Union boss says even if someone misses a funeral, public support for strikers won't dwindle

READ MORE: 'The NHS will not survive in its current form': Sajid Javid doubles down on charging for GP and A&E services

He said: “Realistically I've said to her if you were arguing for more funding for the school kids I would probably be more on board with it”, and explained that she makes £40,000 a year and is the “breadwinner”, with the benefits of 13 weeks for holiday.

“You’re a brave man!” Nick laughed.

Workers on strike today include teachers at the National Education Union, meaning 23,000 schools are either fully or partly closed, RMT and ASLEF train drivers, and around 100,000 civil servants in the Public and Commercial Services union are on strike, as are about 70,000 workers across 150 universities.