Jamaican teachers recruited to the UK in search of better opportunities say they are now facing discrimination, underpayment, and burnout — triggering strike action this week at a secondary school in south London.
Staff at Harris Academy Beckenham will stage a two-day strike starting Tuesday, citing severe overwork, breaches of union rights, and unequal treatment of overseas-trained teachers. The National Education Union (NEU), which represents the striking staff, says many of the affected teachers are Jamaican nationals recruited by the Harris Federation — the UK’s second-largest academy chain.
The protest follows earlier reports of unequal pay across the Federation. In 2024, The Guardian newspaper revealed that Jamaican teachers working for Harris were being paid significantly less than their UK-trained counterparts despite having similar experience. Many were classified as “unqualified,” limiting their salaries and causing some to fall thousands of pounds below colleagues doing the same job. The revelation sparked outrage among teachers, who described the pay gap as “devastating,” particularly given the high cost of living in London.
The Harris Federation, which runs 54 state-funded schools, began actively recruiting from Jamaica in 2018, offering salaries far higher than what teachers typically earn in the Caribbean. But union officials and affected staff say the reality has been far more difficult — with one teacher claiming she was dismissed while five months pregnant, and others citing bullying, excessive monitoring, and constantly shifting performance targets.
“What they did to me was cruel,” said the teacher who lost her job. “I wanted to challenge it legally but the whole process was traumatising and I feared the stress would affect my baby.”
Another Jamaican teacher described an exhausting and demoralising environment: “They set us targets but the goalposts are always moving… it erodes you as a teacher.”
The NEU says many teachers at Harris Beckenham are working far beyond their contractual limits — clocking an estimated 95 extra hours a year and covering for colleagues almost daily. A union survey found that nearly 90% of teachers reported experiencing stress, while 80% said they were considering leaving the school.
The Federation has denied all allegations of racism and unequal treatment. “We wholly refute any allegations of racism,” a spokesperson said. “We are extremely proud of our excellent cadre of Jamaican teachers whom we train, develop and promote within our schools. Their pay and conditions are exactly the same as others in the same position.”
The union, however, says Harris has not only failed to address pay discrepancies but has also interfered with trade union rights. NEU officers have reportedly been barred from the school, meetings cancelled, and staff representatives blocked from attending training sessions.
Izzy Hickmett, NEU Branch Secretary in Bromley, said: “They are facing bullying from management who target overseas-trained teachers from Jamaica who are vulnerable due to their visa status. When our members try to stand up against this, they are experiencing unacceptable management behaviour.”
The current situation also reflects broader issues back home. Jamaica is grappling with a significant teacher migration problem. In 2023, the country’s education ministry reported that 854 teachers had resigned between January and September alone. While this was a drop from the previous year, concerns about chronic shortages remain. The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) estimates that about 10% of the country’s teaching workforce has migrated over the past two years — mostly to the UK, US, and Canada.
Despite this exodus being driven by the lure of better pay and professional development, the experiences of teachers at Harris Beckenham highlight the risks and challenges that await some of those who leave.
A spokesperson for the Harris Federation said the school would remain fully open during the strike. “As ever, the NEU are more concerned with creating dissent than teaching children,” the statement read.
