As much as I hate the way unions seem to lose the concept of reality at times, they do have a serious place in the British workforce and ensure that the terms and conditions that previous generations worked hard for aren't eroded away.
As for teachers; my Mum is a Head Teacher of a Primary School in a deprived area (most children are social services watchlist etc etc), and I know the amount of work she does, and the demands placed on her. I wouldn't get out of bed for her salary, and think that if they want to attract educated people to the career, they need to have realistic salaries. What gets published in the papers is usually the very top end of the scale. I also would probably get arrested for grevious bodily harm or murder within a few hours of becoming a teacher with the behaviour and attitude of some of the kids, hence why I'm not a teacher and why I'm pretty much putting every penny I've got into putting my kids through private school.
