Strikes could be made illegal

Calls are being made for teachers to be banned from taking industial action. Alan Smithers, professor of education at Buckingham University, said the Government should stop teachers from taking industrial action as a 'kindness'.

He said, "Teachers don't seem to realise that they're shooting themselves in the foot by striking, so it would be good if the Government took the decision to ban it for them."

The Centre for Policy Studies, a centre-right think-tank, said schools should be allowed to fire staff who went on strike. Jill Kirby, its director, said, "If you have a teacher who is not sufficiently committed, who wants to strike and deny children an education, schools should be allowed to permanently replace them."