Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at the independent Fulneck School in Pudsey have declared an industrial dispute after discovering they would not be paid for the school’s last half term of operation – despite the fact that they are still expected to work.
 
When Fulneck School announced its closure in March,  it said nothing about refusing to pay teachers. But when teachers returned after May half term, the school informed them that while it could not afford to pay them from that point onwards, they must continue working until closure on 8th July or face breaching their contracts. Staff who leave before the end of the school year have been threatened with the loss of a further five weeks of pay.
 
Fulneck School is over 250 years old and is owned and operated by the asset-rich Moravian Church. Its closure has caused sadness and anger in the local community, with pupils, parents and staff left without school places and jobs at short notice. Many of the school’s pupils have special educational needs and disabilities, and a number are struggling to find appropriate new placements.
 
For years, the teachers have bought into the school’s family ethos, making sacrifices in order to keep the school running by forgoing pay increases and access to the standard Teachers’ Pension Scheme. Most could earn thousands of pounds more if they worked in the same roles in the state sector.
 
As a result of the school’s decision not to pay them for the last half term, Fulneck teachers stand to lose 14% of their annual salary. Even if they are able to secure positions at other schools, they will go from July to the end of September with no pay – despite the fact that they have earned that money. Many have had long careers at the school; their redundancy payments will come at cost to the tax payer. For those who have been there for less than two years, they will receive little or nothing.
 
Matt Wrack, Acting General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said:
 
“NASUWT teachers at Fulneck School have pulled out the stops to support their struggling pupils this term, and it has come – quite literally – at their own expense. After years of sacrifice for the good of the school, losing months of pay is a real kick in the teeth.
 
“The Moravian Church states on its website that it wants to tackle family poverty. It also states that the Church seeks to ‘tackle unjust structures of society.’ After allowing its teachers’ pay and conditions to rot for years, the very least it can do is pay them for the work they have done. Otherwise it will damn its own employees to more stress, more sleepless nights, and financial insecurity.”
 
Tim Toepritz, National Executive Member for Leeds, said:
 
“Teachers at Fulneck School have undergone a collective trauma. They have spent the last term supporting panicking pupils through exams and school transitions, all the while franticly searching for new roles themselves. On top of that, they now face unpaid bills over the summer.
 
“The Moravian Church is exploiting its teachers and expecting taxpayers to pick up the bill. But Fulneck teachers are strong, and they won’t go down without a fight. The school needs to abide by its church’s mission statement and pay up.”