SUPPLY teachers vowed at the weekend they won’t be used as scabs to undermine their permanent colleagues’ strikes in a blow to Tory plans to help bosses break pickets.

The government’s vicious Trade Union Bill will allow employers to hire temporary agency workers to defeat strike action by their own staff.

Privatisation of public services, and shocking understaffing in services including the NHS and education, have led to a dramatic increase of agency staff.

Hundreds of supply teachers who are members of the teachers’ union NASUWT declared at the union’s conference support for the Right to Strike campaign and vowed not to scab.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: “The government’s Trade Union Bill, if enacted, will place supply teachers and other agency workers in an invidious situation and is a clear attempt to set one group of workers against another.

“NASUWT supply teacher members have today pledged their support to protect the right to strike and made it clear that they will not be pawns in the government’s plans to undermine the vital work of trade unions on behalf of their members.”

NASUWT’s stance is a step towards combatting the effects of the Bill and may encourage other unions to adopt the same position.

Agency workers are widely used in the NHS, construction and care services.