Bullying in schools is rife, and we are not talking about the
pupils. The way OFSTED judges schools and individuals makes managers
responsible for shortcomings and managers look for people to blame. The media
fan the "blame culture" and teamwork goes to the wall. Headteachers can now use their power to deny pay increases on UPS to pressurise staff still further. Many teachers in Suffolk are suffering bullying from line managers and
headteachers, making their lives a misery. Do not put up with it! Bullying is
a form of harassment and harassment is a crime.
If members feel bullied, they should come to the Union. We can ALWAYS help! Check out the Suffolk LA's policy on harassment, too.
The late Tim Field defined bullying as: Constant criticism, nit-picking, fault-finding, undermining, isolation, exclusion, being singled out, marginalised, belittled, humiliated, shouted at, threatened, overloaded; your work and credit for it stolen, responsibility increased but authority taken away, leave refused, training denied, unrealistic goals and deadlines, hypocrisy, duplicity, fabrication, distortion, twisting everything you say and do, abuse of disciplinary procedures, imposition of verbal/written warnings for trivial reasons, unfair dismissal, etc.
Sound familiar? Then make sure you do not suffer any further: Take it to the NUT