Malvern House teachers announce week of strikes

Teachers at Malvern House London have announced a week of strike action from Monday 24 November to Friday 28 November. Pickets will take place at 8:45am each day outside the language school on Pentonville Road.

The teachers are organised in the TEFL Workers’ Union, a part of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

Striking Malvern House teacher and IWW member, Shota Motohashi, said: 

Despite our many attempts to initiate in-person negotiations, management has responded by threatening to make up to two-thirds of the teaching staff redundant. However, we remain undeterred, and this week-long strike represents our unwavering commitment to what we believe in.

We know that this fight is not ours alone. This is for all the teachers across the industry who go above and beyond their paid hours to deliver lessons that do right by their students. It’s time the schools did right by us.

Yesterday morning, the union also submitted a statutory application for trade union recognition at Malvern House London.

The dispute began after management repeatedly refused to negotiate with the union over demands for the reinstatement of a dismissed colleague, union recognition and fair contracts, including paid preparation time and secure, guaranteed hours.

Teachers voted unanimously for strike action earlier this autumn, with 100% turnout and 100% in favour, marking the first known strike in a private TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) school in the UK. Teachers have already taken four days of strike action after management’s continued refusal to engage.

While teachers were on strike on 3 November, Malvern International plc, the parent company of Malvern House, announced plans to make up to seven of the school’s eleven teachers redundant. The so-called “consultation” runs from 11 November to 12 December. The union describes these redundancies as an attempt to break the union and punish the teachers for their continued commitment to fight for better conditions.

The IWW’s lead organiser for the TEFL Workers’ Union, Tom Liebewitz, said:

 The Malvern House teachers are only asking for what we all deserve: proper, lawful contracts and pay for all their work. Yet, instead of sitting down to bargain, management have gone on the attack with a round of redundancies. But our members aren’t about to take this lying down.

A week of strike action will send a message to management that it’s time to negotiate. What’s happening here is a reminder that when one group of workers is attacked, the rest of us must stand beside them.

Donate to the strikers' hardship fund:

Support the Malvern House London teachers’ fight for justice!

The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) may process limited personal data in the course of its campaigning and organising work. Such processing is undertaken strictly in connection with lawful trade disputes, as defined under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. Personal data will only be used where it is relevant to the conduct of a trade dispute, kept to the minimum necessary and retained only for as long as required for the campaign. If you wish to object to your data being processed in this way, or to request its removal, please contact the IWW WISE-RA Communications Administrator at commsadmin@iww.org.uk. For more information about how the IWW handles data, your rights, and our approach to privacy, please see our privacy policy: https://www.iww.org.uk/privacy. Teachers at Malvern House London are currently balloting for strike action after management refused to negotiate on basic, fair demands. This is part of a growing wave of action in the UK’s private English language teaching sector, as TEFL teachers organise for respect, fair pay and recognition of their union, the TEFL Workers’ Union (part of the IWW). Our demands are simple and fair: Reinstate a popular colleague dismissed after an unfair disciplinary process Paid admin and lesson preparation time, not unpaid hours before classes An end to zero-hour contracts for any teacher who requests it A negotiated policy on lay-offs and short-time working. This ballot is a response to management’s refusal to engage in good-faith talks. It is the next step in our campaign to restore planning, support and communication at Malvern House so that staff and students can thrive. As teacher Jeffrey Zedic says: “We’ve brought in the union so that, together, this can be restored.” Another colleague adds: “We are no longer willing to tolerate the disregard for the needs and views of teaching staff and the impact this has on our students.” Why we need your support now Balloting to strike is a crucial stage and it costs money. We are raising funds now to build our strike fund in advance so that if the ballot is successful and management continues to stonewall, we will be ready to take action without delay. Your support will help cover: Loss of income if we go on strike Campaign materials Travel, outreach and building solidarity with students and supporters. As teacher Simon Kelly says: “It’s important we stand together. They can’t get away with treating people so unfairly.” Donate now to support Malvern House teachers and help shift the balance of power in the TEFL industry.

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This article was originally published on the IWW TEFL Workers' Union news page:

Malvern House teachers announce week of strikes

Teachers at Malvern House London have announced a week of strike action from Monday 24 November to Friday 28 November. Pickets will take place at 8:45am each day outside the language school on Penton

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