Result of 'cao exam' for secondary education: fewer teaching hours and a good wage increase needed
A maximum number of teaching hours, limitation of the number of starting moments, fewer hours in the annual task and a good salary increase. These are the most important points that emerge from the 'cao exam' of the AOb.
Image- screenshot livestream
The collective labor agreement negotiations in secondary education are not going smoothly, which is why the AOb challenged management and administrators to complete a collective labor agreement exam. Together with their teachers and support staff, so that the managers could hear what is really going on in the workplace.
Last Wednesday, the collective labor agreement exam was taken and the conversation was held at 120 schools, during a live stream of AOb† Boards were not eager: at 17 of these schools, board members took part in the discussion, in addition, 8 members of a board or board took the trouble to complete the exam independently. At the majority of the schools that participated, the exam was completed by only the teachers and support staff.
There are quite different views on how to reduce the workload. But we agree unanimously on smaller class sizes
When asked how the workload in secondary education could be reduced, more than three quarters of the respondents opted for fewer hours. The majority of this group believes that every employee should have at least 120 hours a year free space in the annual task, the rest stick to 60 hours.
More than three quarters of the respondents believe that the maximum number of teaching hours that a teacher is allowed to teach per year should be reduced. In the coming collective labor agreement to 720 hours per year, then to 680 hours per year in 2027.
Ambiance
At schools where the management had taken up the challenge and had entered into discussions with staff, the atmosphere was different. This ranged from: 'Went well, nice conversations, we were all free to say what we wanted' to 'Cutting atmosphere, dissatisfied teachers, we don't want managers who swallow most of the education money so that we get too low salaries'.
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“At our school it was good to talk to each other”, says Peter den Hartog, teacher at CSG Calvin Rotterdam and AOb-driver. “The board itself came up with the idea of scheduling people free for the meeting. That's great, of course.”
united
At Den Hartog's school, the management and staff were largely on the same page about what should be done to reduce the workload. “We were very united,” says Den Hartog. “Although there are of course some practical points. If we run fewer teaching hours, where do we get the extra people from, for example?”
The results of the exam show that many respondents would like to limit the number of moments at which a new lesson is started, the number of 'start moments', to 24 or 20 per week. Den Hartog found that a difficult one. “You can limit the number of start times by entering block hours. But in VMBO basic/framework, the students are really done with your lesson after 40 minutes: then the concentration is gone.”
Class reduction
The answers show that many respondents miss one topic in the exam: a question about class size reduction. 'Unfortunately, the best way to reduce the workload is not listed here: class reduction', is one of the reactions. Another wrote: 'During the discussion there appears to be quite a difference of opinion about how work pressure can be reduced. One point, however, came out very clearly: smaller classes. We were unanimous on this.'
Ben Zwartjes thinks so too, AOb-director and teacher at Dendron College Horst. “Thanks to the NPO funds, we now temporarily have smaller classes, and you really notice that in the workload.”
Pay raise
Furthermore, the exam shows that the pay increase for teachers and assistants should be at least equal to inflation, or at least 4 percent. And in the new collective labor agreement it should be stipulated that boards offer permanent employment to employees more quickly.
One of the hot topics in the negotiations is the way in which the 300 million euros in workload reduction should be used. That money, which is available from the Education Agreement, can be used, for example, to achieve 60 fewer task hours. Starting with a maximum of 24 lessons per week.
Disappears
The school administrators want to leave the spending of this money to the teams, but there is AObdirector Jelmer Evers is not in favor of this. “Our members want there to be hard collective labor agreements be made about how this amount will benefit individual teachers and support staff. Otherwise we run the risk that the money will disappear in the lump sum, and nobody will see anything of it in the form of a reduction in workload.”
Only a strike will ensure that the employers come across the bridge
Tomorrow, Tuesday 14 June, negotiations will take place again with the employers. If the employers AOb If they don't meet them, it becomes a difficult story, says Evers. “A collective labor agreement must be concluded before mid-July, otherwise we will miss out on the 300 million euros from the Education Agreement. But I am also not going to sign an agreement that the members do not support. I certainly do not rule out further actions.”
If the employers AOb If not, it becomes a difficult story
Staking
Some teachers are already enthusiastic about a strike, according to the exam results. 'We as teachers pay too much attention to the students and therefore do not want to go on strike. Only a strike will ensure that employers will step in. Hopefully there will be enough members willing to go up the barricades.'
Teacher Zwartjes is ready: “After the discussion at school, I e-mailed the Executive Board with the message: I am in education to teach, not to strike. But if that collective labor agreement proposal doesn't get any better, I'll do it."
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