Michael Gove Dubbed 'Demented Dalek On Speed' By National Union Of Teachers

Teachers' Union Calls Michael Gove 'Demented Dalek On Speed'
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Michael Gove was described as a "demented Dalek on speed" on Saturday for wanting to "exterminate" education by a teachers' union as it debated calls for further strike action.

A member of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) told its Brighton conference that the Education Secretary wanted to "exterminate anything good in education that's come along since the 1950s".

Delegates were debating a motion which called on the union to co-ordinate national strike action in the week beginning June 23, if "significant" progress is not made in resolving its long-running dispute.

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The NUT said Michael Gove wanted to 'exterminate anything good in education'

Ian Murch, a member of the union's executive, described Gove as "a parody of an Education Secretary", saying: "We need a secretary of state who believes in treating teachers properly and respecting their professionalism."

"Michael Gove, the man with a mad idea for every occasion. Michael Gove, the demented Dalek on speed who wants to exterminate anything good in education that's come along since the 1950s.

"Michael Gove, the man who says he wants to set schools free and then sends in the Spanish inquisition."

"We are here to do the public a favour, to make sure Michael Gove's days are numbered. Michael Gove you have to go."

The strike motion does not rule out more than one day of strikes, and also leaves the door open for further industrial action in the autumn.

A final vote on it was not taken, and it will be debated again later in the conference.

The NUT's industrial action has previously been condemned by the Department for Education (DfE), which said it disrupts families and holds back children's education.

In her speech to the conference earlier, NUT president Max Hyde said: "We care very much about the children and young people we teach and the communities in which we work.

"But we cannot stand by when teachers' pay is eroded, our pensions attacked and our workload is unsustainable. We are the union and we will act."

A DfE spokeswoman said: "Ministers have met frequently with the NUT and other unions and will continue to do so. Further strike action will only disrupt parents' lives, hold back children's education and damage the reputation of the profession.

"We know that the vast majority of our teachers and school leaders are hard-working and dedicated professionals. That is why we are giving teachers more freedoms than ever and cutting unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy."