This morning's SE Region TUC Public Services Committee meeting in central London reflected a growing mood for action amongst public sector unions. PCS members spoke of the need to build unity to defend pensions and fight off public sector cuts, NUT members spoke about Academies and Trusts while UNITE members pointed to their victories at Lindsey, Visteon and Linamar. I was re-elected as Chair of the committee.
After debating with Council officers at their official 'drop-in' event about the plan to set up a Trust federation, I drove over to Greenwich NUT for their hustings. I appreciated their backing in nominating me for NUT Vice-President. As on the Isle of Wight last week, there was general agreement that national action was needed to win on workload - and to oppose privatisation - but useful discussion on what such a program of action might consist of - combining both strike and non-strike action.
It was then back over to Goldsmiths where, unlike the Council's thinly attended 'drop-in', over fifty parents, teachers, support staff, councillors, lecturers and students attended our own public meeting to oppose the Trust. All left with a renewed determination to oppose the Council's proposal by all means necessary - responding to the'consultation', lobbying governors, leafletting parents, protest meetings and strike action.
Martin
Monday, 29 June 2009
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Shop Stewards Network - an inspiring conference
After spending a morning leafletting in Deptford Market against our local 'Trust' threat, I had thought twice about then going on to Camden to attend the National Shop Stewards Network Conference - but what an inpsiring event it proved to be!
Many trade unionists still lack confidence that struggles can be won - but here was a Conference full of contributions about struggles - and, more to the point, struggles that had won!
Speakers included:
* Joe Higgins, "The best fighter money can't buy", elected as a socialist Irish MEP;
* Keith Gibson from the Lindsey Oil Refinery Strike Committee who had just won a complete victory against Total's attempts to sack hundreds of workers;
* Visteon workers who had occupied their plants in Belfast, Enfield and Basildon;
* Rob Williams, UNITE convenor at Limamar Swansea, where his colleagues had responded to his sacking - a blatant victimisation of a trade unionist - with an all-out strike threat that had won him his job back.
Baljeet Ghale, NUT Ex-President, opened the workshop on "Education for What?" which helped build links between UCU lecturers, NUT teachers, UNISON support staff, students and parents - including Eleanor Davies from the Lewisham Bridge occupation. My calls for national action to oppose both cuts and privatisation were well received. I was particularly pleased to meet with young teachers from Wales and Bristol looking to build the NUT and NUT Young Teachers activities.
Rob Williams' warning that employers will use the recession to attack pensions, terms and conditions applies to teachers as much as any other public or private sector employee. As Rob summed up the conference - "If you fight, you may not win but if you don't fight you will always lose". Rob had won - so can we!
Martin
Many trade unionists still lack confidence that struggles can be won - but here was a Conference full of contributions about struggles - and, more to the point, struggles that had won!
Speakers included:
* Joe Higgins, "The best fighter money can't buy", elected as a socialist Irish MEP;
* Keith Gibson from the Lindsey Oil Refinery Strike Committee who had just won a complete victory against Total's attempts to sack hundreds of workers;
* Visteon workers who had occupied their plants in Belfast, Enfield and Basildon;
* Rob Williams, UNITE convenor at Limamar Swansea, where his colleagues had responded to his sacking - a blatant victimisation of a trade unionist - with an all-out strike threat that had won him his job back.
Baljeet Ghale, NUT Ex-President, opened the workshop on "Education for What?" which helped build links between UCU lecturers, NUT teachers, UNISON support staff, students and parents - including Eleanor Davies from the Lewisham Bridge occupation. My calls for national action to oppose both cuts and privatisation were well received. I was particularly pleased to meet with young teachers from Wales and Bristol looking to build the NUT and NUT Young Teachers activities.
Rob Williams' warning that employers will use the recession to attack pensions, terms and conditions applies to teachers as much as any other public or private sector employee. As Rob summed up the conference - "If you fight, you may not win but if you don't fight you will always lose". Rob had won - so can we!
Martin
Martin discusses with Isle of Wight members
An invitation to speak at the Isle of Wight NUT Reps' Training Day gave me a welcome opportunity to visit the island for the first time.
The meeting was certainly held in a more scenic spot than Lewisham can offer! But the scenery won't be too much solace for local teachers who face an uncertain future under school reorganisation plans which could see the end of middle schools and all their high schools turned into Academies.
Discussion therefore centred on TUPE and possible legal remedies to defend staff. However, as I also pointed out in my contribution on workload, while we have to use the limited legal protections we can find, the only real defence is union organisation, campaigning and action.
Members agreed with the need for national action to win real limits on hours and the Union's longstanding policy for a minimum 20% non-contact time for all. As John, the Association Secretary put it, that doesn't mean we want a 4-day week as the papers claim, but it does mean we want to win back a 2-day weekend!
A useful discussion began on what a program of national action to win such a demand might look like - national strike action, rolling action with levies from other regions and 'work-to-rule' action short of strike action too. Unlike the one-day strike on pay - which was enthusiastically supported but gave members no idea of where we were going next - we need to discuss and agree on a strategy that can win our demands and get maximum support from members across all regions of the Union.
Martin
The meeting was certainly held in a more scenic spot than Lewisham can offer! But the scenery won't be too much solace for local teachers who face an uncertain future under school reorganisation plans which could see the end of middle schools and all their high schools turned into Academies.
Discussion therefore centred on TUPE and possible legal remedies to defend staff. However, as I also pointed out in my contribution on workload, while we have to use the limited legal protections we can find, the only real defence is union organisation, campaigning and action.
Members agreed with the need for national action to win real limits on hours and the Union's longstanding policy for a minimum 20% non-contact time for all. As John, the Association Secretary put it, that doesn't mean we want a 4-day week as the papers claim, but it does mean we want to win back a 2-day weekend!
A useful discussion began on what a program of national action to win such a demand might look like - national strike action, rolling action with levies from other regions and 'work-to-rule' action short of strike action too. Unlike the one-day strike on pay - which was enthusiastically supported but gave members no idea of where we were going next - we need to discuss and agree on a strategy that can win our demands and get maximum support from members across all regions of the Union.
Martin
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Report from Lewisham Bridge School
Today a large number of parents and other supporters turned out to support the occupation of Lewisham Bridge School, that has now been going on for two months. The protestors occupied the school in protest at the Council's plans to demolish the existing primary school on the site currently, and re-build it as a through school for 3 to 16 year olds. There have been many concerns expressed about this by parents, including the loss of the school as 'community school', as well as concerns re the site being potentially contaminated and there being an inadequate water supply! The Commission for Architecture and the Build Environment and English Heritage have even opposed the build! Yet Arrogantly, Lewisham Council, with its directly elected Mayor has as per usual, proceeded with its un democratic decisions.
The occupiers were to be confronted and removed today by baliffs. The police attended with great numbers and had four police vans and even a helicopter circling the school protest site!
The parents, some of whom were on the roof, and community supporters probably totalling about 100 throughout the morning, stood their ground.
After a stand off the police and baliffs must have realised that this was not going to be won easily and decided at about 11.30 to leave.
The battle is not over yet however. As the possibility is still there of the baliffs returning and a harder policing line being used by the authorities.
Chris Flood
The occupiers were to be confronted and removed today by baliffs. The police attended with great numbers and had four police vans and even a helicopter circling the school protest site!
The parents, some of whom were on the roof, and community supporters probably totalling about 100 throughout the morning, stood their ground.
After a stand off the police and baliffs must have realised that this was not going to be won easily and decided at about 11.30 to leave.
The battle is not over yet however. As the possibility is still there of the baliffs returning and a harder policing line being used by the authorities.
Chris Flood
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
My thanks to Lewes, Eastbourne and Wealden NUT
Tonight's meeting in Lewes heard from three Vice-Presidential candidates - myself, Simon Jones and Nina Franklin. After a discussion, where candidiates were asked to concentrate on workload issues, the meeting voted to nominate me and Simon Jones. The support is much appreciated.
Informal discussion after the meeting centred on the issue of competency procedures and how they are being used to break and intimidate our members. We agreed to keep in touch over drafting a motion for next year's Conference to strengthen Union policy on the issue.
Martin
Informal discussion after the meeting centred on the issue of competency procedures and how they are being used to break and intimidate our members. We agreed to keep in touch over drafting a motion for next year's Conference to strengthen Union policy on the issue.
Martin
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Gordon needs some career advice!
Saturday's Guardian reported that Gordon Brown has been so hurt by personal attacks that he's thought about throwing in the towel and becoming ... a teacher!
I think his career adviser needs to warn him that the classroom might not be the right place for anyone with any sensitivity to personal remarks from students. The staffroom might not be too sympathetic either, given New Labour's record on privatisation and scapegoating of teachers & schools.
In fact, as there may be a few MPs facing an enforced career change soon, they had all better be warned that there's little room for outrageous expense claims either (unless you're an Academy Headteacher perhaps). In fact, it's more likely that you'll end up spending out of your own pockets for resources that your class needs.
Getting a few more classroom teachers and other trade unionists to take their place in Parliament - to argue for proper funding of education and all our public services - might be very welcome!
I think his career adviser needs to warn him that the classroom might not be the right place for anyone with any sensitivity to personal remarks from students. The staffroom might not be too sympathetic either, given New Labour's record on privatisation and scapegoating of teachers & schools.
In fact, as there may be a few MPs facing an enforced career change soon, they had all better be warned that there's little room for outrageous expense claims either (unless you're an Academy Headteacher perhaps). In fact, it's more likely that you'll end up spending out of your own pockets for resources that your class needs.
Getting a few more classroom teachers and other trade unionists to take their place in Parliament - to argue for proper funding of education and all our public services - might be very welcome!
Friday, 19 June 2009
Bromley discusses workload and nominates Martin
I'd like to thank members of the Bromley NUT Association for unanimously agreeing to nominate me for Vice-President at their General Meeting on Thursday.
I was invited to speak to the meeting on workload and was pleased at the support given to my call for the Union to put into place the national action that I argued for - and was voted for by delegates - at NUT Conference this Easter. But one Bromley officer wanted to know, "Why isn't workload the priority with the present Executive that it should be?". I answered that classroom teachers had to keep up the pressure on the Executive for action to take place but appealed for support in this election so that I could argue for action on workload from within the Executive, rather than from outside it.
There was a range of workload issues raised, particularly from the young teachers present. A number of colleagues talked about the pressures caused by APP. In order to win the SATS campaign, we have to make clear that in ditching SATS, we're not going to accept their replacement with a teacher assessment scheme that reproduces the same target-driven mentality - but with even greater workload for teachers.
Martin
I was invited to speak to the meeting on workload and was pleased at the support given to my call for the Union to put into place the national action that I argued for - and was voted for by delegates - at NUT Conference this Easter. But one Bromley officer wanted to know, "Why isn't workload the priority with the present Executive that it should be?". I answered that classroom teachers had to keep up the pressure on the Executive for action to take place but appealed for support in this election so that I could argue for action on workload from within the Executive, rather than from outside it.
There was a range of workload issues raised, particularly from the young teachers present. A number of colleagues talked about the pressures caused by APP. In order to win the SATS campaign, we have to make clear that in ditching SATS, we're not going to accept their replacement with a teacher assessment scheme that reproduces the same target-driven mentality - but with even greater workload for teachers.
Martin
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