Teacher's Grand Pet
I have good friends who are teachers - most are well-balanced, reasonable people - not prone to flights of fancy or great exaggeration normally.
So how come the teaching unions come up with bogus arguments about teachers' pay and conditions - which the average 7-year old would dismiss as being ridiculous.
The latest example is from the SSTA union - the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association.
Which claims that the education of Scotland's young people will be damaged - if pension reforms are implemented and teachers are required to work to 66 years of age - before drawing their pensions.
Why?
Because the SSTA says that teaching staff will be forced to work to such an age - that their students could be as young as their great-grandchildren.
Now the SSTA is quick to point out that older teachers can still cut the mustard - otherwise they would have caused great offence to their own members - I imagine.
But the SSTA goes on to argue that Scottish teachers get 'worn out' before everyone else - and so deserve special treatment.
Now I've heard a few daft arguments in my time - but that takes the biscuit.
Not just because it's an insult to older teachers - and not only because there's not a scrap of evidence to support such a silly claim.
The real objecttion is that it's a huge insult to other public service workers who also do demanding jobs - but often with less pay and by working longer hours than teachers.
So how come the teaching unions come up with bogus arguments about teachers' pay and conditions - which the average 7-year old would dismiss as being ridiculous.
The latest example is from the SSTA union - the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association.
Which claims that the education of Scotland's young people will be damaged - if pension reforms are implemented and teachers are required to work to 66 years of age - before drawing their pensions.
Why?
Because the SSTA says that teaching staff will be forced to work to such an age - that their students could be as young as their great-grandchildren.
Now the SSTA is quick to point out that older teachers can still cut the mustard - otherwise they would have caused great offence to their own members - I imagine.
But the SSTA goes on to argue that Scottish teachers get 'worn out' before everyone else - and so deserve special treatment.
Now I've heard a few daft arguments in my time - but that takes the biscuit.
Not just because it's an insult to older teachers - and not only because there's not a scrap of evidence to support such a silly claim.
The real objecttion is that it's a huge insult to other public service workers who also do demanding jobs - but often with less pay and by working longer hours than teachers.
