Members of the National Union of Teachers in Penyrheol Comprehensive School, Gorseinon will be taking one-day strike action on Tuesday, 12 December and at Cefn Hengoed Comprehensive School on Wednesday, 13 December.

The strikes are over the issue of Teaching and Learning Responsibilities that have replaced the previous Management Allowances.

David Evans, Secretary of NUT Cymru said, “Many of our members at these schools are facing pay cuts of thousands of pounds. This is completely unacceptable.

“In the case of Penyrheol it is a slap in the face to teachers who cooperated in every way possible to make sure that pupils’ education did not suffer as a result of the terrible fire which destroyed most of the school earlier this year. What makes it worse is the insulting and inaccurate letter the headteacher has sent to parents. In the vote for strike action, from a turn-out of 86.2%, 92.0% voted in favour. The headteacher is right in saying that the membership of the NUT is higher than it was at the time of the ballot. It does not take much to work out why that should be. It shows the strength of feeling in the school over the injustice suffered by many teachers.

“In the case of Penyrheol and Cefn Hengoed, we are bitterly disappointed that there has been no resolution and no constructive movement by the school. We are still prepared to negotiate but ball is firmly in the school's court.”