Striking teachers

May 24th, 2017 by James Goudie KC

Teachers at a sixth form college participate in a full day of lawful strike action. The collective agreement (the Red Book) incorporated into their individual contracts of employment provides that in such a situation their employer can withhold their pay.  But how much can the deductions be?  That was the issue in Hartley v King Edward VI College  (2017) UKSC 39.  The employer had made the deductions at a rate of 1/260 of their annual pay. That was based on the number of weekdays in a calendar year.  That was wrong say the Supreme Court.  The employer was entitled to make deductions only at a rate of 1/365 of their annual salary. This is the effect of the Apportionment Act 1870 (“the Act”).  This provides for accrual from day to day: Section 2. Read more »