If MP's can vote their own pay rises why not everyone else as well including teachers ?.

Steve, London, UK

LOSE RESPECT? WE'LL LEAVE THAT TO THE COMEDIC DUO, BALLS AND BROWN.

The recent pay cut is a broken promise that should not be tolerated. Any employee deserves to receive what they were first told that they would get.

Teachers deserve a fair pay like anyone else.

Lest we forget that we are ALL equals whatever our profession...

Fiona, hull, yorkshire

If you ask for absence to take a child on holiday, you are effecting their educatio. Yet Teachers can go on strike, and have numerous training days, does that not effect the education.
At recent parents evening two of my grandchildren had to correct their teacher in front of the parents, as the Teacher did not know what group they were in or their capabilities.
Education has been messed about by politicians, bring up the standard of teaching, before lare pay rises.

Mike, Cyprus,

I would say that the Education of the future generations is entirely a "real profession", and, regardless of strike action and pay, that teachers ought to be afforded more respect than they are currently given.

Mark, Hammersmith,

The reputation of teachers will undoubtedly suffer because of this strike action. The strike will only draw parents' attention to the generous terms and conditions of employment that all teachers, competent and incompetent alike, already receive. Summer will soon be here and many of us will be hoping for some respite from the stifling heat of the office. Will the boss finally buy a fan, or will I get a week's holiday when I want it?

What about our hard-working and caring teachers?

Des, Edinburgh,

Teachers must give up the path of union militancy and become real professionals, as teachers are in the independent schools. Have teachers ever wondered why solicitors, doctors, accountants, barristers et al all receive much more money than they do? It is because these are real professions: they do not have a trade union and they do not go on strike. Teachers, chuck out of your militant union, the NUT and join the Professional Association of Teachers which will give you legal protection but which won't drag you out on strike.

George, Bolton, England

Quite why a useless fool like Balls is in charge of schools is beyond me; I wouldn't trust him with a collection of dolls, never mind childrens' education.

Perhaps if his pay, conditions and perks were screwed down as firmly as those of the teachers he's responsible for, methinks he'd be singing a different song.

Mark, durham, UK

Once again we see people wanting to be classed as professionals failing to behave like professionals. Hard working parents now have to arrange child care, probably at great expense, so they can pay taxes to pay vastly overpaid teachers to have yet another holiday. What would happen if the kids all went on strike and teachers had to lose a days pay because there was no one for them to teach? Im sure they would be in uproar.
We are always hearing teachers compare their pay to people like police officers who put their lives on the line every time they go to work, when was the last time the police went on strike?

Peter Twinn, Stoke on Trent,

Independent pay review panel my eye! These panels are 'advised' in no uncertain terms by the relevant government department, and when they refuse to follow this advice and award more than the Government wishes to pay, the awards are trimmed or adjusted, but certainly never paid in full. Look at what was done to the award to the Police.
As to loss of respect - it was my impression that lack of respect was on of the major causes of poor behaviour amongst pupils and parents and of consequent stress amongst the teaching profession.
Ed Balls, it would be hard to find a more suitable name, talks to the public as though they were sycophantic new Labour supporters, incapable of judging the truth and substance of his pronouncements. I look forward to that 'Portillo moment' when he loses his constituency in the next election.

Bill Q, Derby,

Some teachers may lose respect for teachers. I wasn' aware that these days parent had any respect for teachers anyway.Perhaps, whilst the teachers are on strike, these parents (especially in the secondary schools) could 'fill in' for the absent teachers. Who knows they may learn something to their disadvantage.

Rodney Barker, Lincolnshire, U.K.