Today was the last date for NUT Associations to nominate candidates for the National Officers Election. City of Leicester Association were meeting to decide their nominations tonight - after inviting candidates to speak to them last week - and agreed to make Martin one of their nominations.
The final list of Associations nominating Martin for the election is as follows:
City of Leicester
West Cheshire
Shropshire
The Wrekin
Ipswich
Amersham, Chesham & District
Isle of Wight County
Lewes, Eastbourne & Wealden
Greenwich
Lewisham
Bexley
Bromley
Merton
Leeds
Blackburn with Darwen
Lancaster, Morecambe & District
Bristol
Medway
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Jobs, Education, Peace
They say that the sun always shines on the righteous - it certainly shone on the 'Jobs, Education, Peace' demonstration to lobby the Labour Party Conference in Brighton this afternoon. There was a fair turnout of NUT banners as we marched along the promenade.
On the way back to the car, my kids saw an altercation between a car driver and three skateboarding youth. Angry at the motorist, the youth made their feelings known, but with an unexpected term of abuse: "Labour!"
With many young people alienated from all the main political parties, trade unionists have a responsibility to offer a way forward that challenges cuts and gives the young people that we teach the chance of a decent future.
On the way back to the car, my kids saw an altercation between a car driver and three skateboarding youth. Angry at the motorist, the youth made their feelings known, but with an unexpected term of abuse: "Labour!"
With many young people alienated from all the main political parties, trade unionists have a responsibility to offer a way forward that challenges cuts and gives the young people that we teach the chance of a decent future.
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Tories plan draconian attacks on teachers and education
After Ed Balls’ announcement last weekend that schools should expect £2 billion cuts, comes confirmation that a Conservative Government are planning even more draconian attacks on teachers and education.
The Guardian and TES report that Michael Gove’s draft Education Bill will include regulations that would allow a further acceleration in the break-up of Local Authority schooling. Under the Tories, private sponsors would find it even easier to set up Academies, supposedly to help ‘raise standards’ - despite clear evidence that many Academies are struggling compared to community comprehensive schools. While privatisation through Academies and Trusts has been largely restricted to secondary education under New Labour, a future Conservative Government would also encourage their rapid expansion into primary education as well.
The Tories’ plans are also set to include a stark threat to teachers and teacher unions – the end of our national pay and conditions arrangements. This would mean that even the weak protections in the existing School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document would be thrown aside. Faced with spending cuts, schools will seek to attack pay, introduce more ‘teaching-on-the-cheap’ and further worsen workload. Unions need to organise to defend – and improve – national pay and conditions by taking national action to win a clear National Contract limiting working hours and class sizes, a contract that should apply to all teachers.
Whoever wins the next General Election, teachers and education face some of the severest challenges we have faced for decades. That’s why it is vital that the NUT National Officer elections are won by candidates prepared to offer strong leadership that can galvanise members to take the national action necessary to meet the challenges that we face.
The Guardian and TES report that Michael Gove’s draft Education Bill will include regulations that would allow a further acceleration in the break-up of Local Authority schooling. Under the Tories, private sponsors would find it even easier to set up Academies, supposedly to help ‘raise standards’ - despite clear evidence that many Academies are struggling compared to community comprehensive schools. While privatisation through Academies and Trusts has been largely restricted to secondary education under New Labour, a future Conservative Government would also encourage their rapid expansion into primary education as well.
The Tories’ plans are also set to include a stark threat to teachers and teacher unions – the end of our national pay and conditions arrangements. This would mean that even the weak protections in the existing School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document would be thrown aside. Faced with spending cuts, schools will seek to attack pay, introduce more ‘teaching-on-the-cheap’ and further worsen workload. Unions need to organise to defend – and improve – national pay and conditions by taking national action to win a clear National Contract limiting working hours and class sizes, a contract that should apply to all teachers.
Whoever wins the next General Election, teachers and education face some of the severest challenges we have faced for decades. That’s why it is vital that the NUT National Officer elections are won by candidates prepared to offer strong leadership that can galvanise members to take the national action necessary to meet the challenges that we face.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Taking the campaign around the country
A packed NUT General Meeting in Lewisham, with nearly 40 in the room, started off a busy week of campaigning for support in the National Officers election. I then travelled to Liverpool, Coventry and Leicester to explain why we needed a strong union leadership ready to stand up to the attacks on jobs, pay and pensions that are being prepared for us. Unfortunately nominations could not be made at the meetings, but my call for united national action on workload and to defend our hard-earned pensions was well-received in all of them.
I was pleased to be notified by the Isle of Wight Association (who had invited me to speak to their reps' training event last term on workload) that they have voted to nominate me for the Vice-President election.
Martin
I was pleased to be notified by the Isle of Wight Association (who had invited me to speak to their reps' training event last term on workload) that they have voted to nominate me for the Vice-President election.
Martin
Sunday, 20 September 2009
£2 billion cuts puts teachers' jobs, pay and pensions under threat
Ed Balls' announcement in today's Sunday Times of Labour's plans to impose £2 billion of cuts - 5% of the total schools budget - spells out the onslaught that all the main parties plan to unleash on teachers and schools after the next General Election.
Many teachers expect a Conservative administration to brandish the public spending axe but it was only yesterday that Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, also warned of the need for 'savage' cuts and attacks on public sector pensions. Ed Balls' announcment confirms that, whoever forms the next Government, the mainstream politicians want teachers and school students to pay for their economic mistakes.
Schools spend most of their budget on staff, so 5% cuts can only mean one thing - significant job losses and pay cuts. But schools are already understaffed in reality - that's why most teachers already work a 50 hour working even according to Ball's own official figures. Cutting posts will mean inflicting even greater workload on the staff that are left. Education is bound to suffer as a result.
Where does Balls expect schools to be able to make these cuts? His talk of cutting back on 'bureaucrats' is the kind of nonsense that civil service unions have already had to put up with. Most senior staff and Heads of Faculty are already run ragged trying to keep on top of the demands inflicted on schools by the Government's testing and targets regime, not sitting in an office twiddling their thumbs.
Of course, if Ed Balls genuinely wanted to 'cut bureaucracy' without harming education, he could start by abolishing OfSTED and SATs - but he won't because they are both key parts of his Government's bullying machinery.
Ed Balls even has the cheek to suggest that another part of his agenda - setting up 'Federations' (often as unaccountable Trusts designed to break up Local Authority schooling) can help make the required savings. In fact, Federations usually increase bureaucracy - introducing an extra layer of 'Executive Heads' on top of existing structures. But Balls imagines that Federations can cut posts and make staff take on roles across several schools. The idea that, say, a Head of Maths in one school can rush around supporting staff and students across a whole Federation, certainly without anyone filling in for the work left behind, is nonsense.
At least we have been warned. Teachers and their unions know what is coming. Now we have to prepare an urgent defence of teachers and education. Teaching and other public sector unions need to be liasing immediately to prepare a campaign of national action to defend pay, pensions and jobs. We need to reach out to our communities to explain what is at stake. A united campaign of staff and parents can make the next Government think again.
Martin Powell-Davies
Many teachers expect a Conservative administration to brandish the public spending axe but it was only yesterday that Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, also warned of the need for 'savage' cuts and attacks on public sector pensions. Ed Balls' announcment confirms that, whoever forms the next Government, the mainstream politicians want teachers and school students to pay for their economic mistakes.
Schools spend most of their budget on staff, so 5% cuts can only mean one thing - significant job losses and pay cuts. But schools are already understaffed in reality - that's why most teachers already work a 50 hour working even according to Ball's own official figures. Cutting posts will mean inflicting even greater workload on the staff that are left. Education is bound to suffer as a result.
Where does Balls expect schools to be able to make these cuts? His talk of cutting back on 'bureaucrats' is the kind of nonsense that civil service unions have already had to put up with. Most senior staff and Heads of Faculty are already run ragged trying to keep on top of the demands inflicted on schools by the Government's testing and targets regime, not sitting in an office twiddling their thumbs.
Of course, if Ed Balls genuinely wanted to 'cut bureaucracy' without harming education, he could start by abolishing OfSTED and SATs - but he won't because they are both key parts of his Government's bullying machinery.
Ed Balls even has the cheek to suggest that another part of his agenda - setting up 'Federations' (often as unaccountable Trusts designed to break up Local Authority schooling) can help make the required savings. In fact, Federations usually increase bureaucracy - introducing an extra layer of 'Executive Heads' on top of existing structures. But Balls imagines that Federations can cut posts and make staff take on roles across several schools. The idea that, say, a Head of Maths in one school can rush around supporting staff and students across a whole Federation, certainly without anyone filling in for the work left behind, is nonsense.
At least we have been warned. Teachers and their unions know what is coming. Now we have to prepare an urgent defence of teachers and education. Teaching and other public sector unions need to be liasing immediately to prepare a campaign of national action to defend pay, pensions and jobs. We need to reach out to our communities to explain what is at stake. A united campaign of staff and parents can make the next Government think again.
Martin Powell-Davies
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Are we ready for the battles to come?
Teachers don’t need to read the latest Government reports to know that our workload is as intolerable as ever and that too many non-teacher qualified staff are regularly taking classes. But, with politicians looking to clear a £1.4 trillion debt, we ‘ain’t seen nothing yet’!
I wrote in my original nomination leaflet back in May that we will have to be ready for more attacks as the recession bites. It is now absolutely clear that, whoever forms the next Government, public services, and public sector workers, face the threat of serious cutbacks and further privatisation.
As before, when this Government first came for teachers’ pensions, we have to be ready to respond with united trade union action to defend our pensions once again. We also have to unite with parents and our local communities in a joint battle to oppose cuts, job losses and further privatisation of schools. As Vice-President, I would make it my priority to build the unity in action that we need to defend teachers and schools.
The national officers that the NUT will elect this term will have to help lead the Union into action. But are we ready for the battles to come?
School reps and local union officers are already run ragged trying to keep on top of the casework and campaigns we face. We must inspire a new layer of teachers into union activity. Above all, we must give NUT members the confidence that we have a strategy that can successfully defend teachers and education.
On too many key issues, like workload, we have not been able to turn the tide. That’s why I have successfully argued at Conference for a change of strategy. A campaign of national action to win a National Contract that really limits teacher workload and class sizes is a strategy that can make a difference. It is time that policy is put into practice.
If you want a Vice-President who can speak up for teachers, who can help develop a strategy to defend education in the battles to come, and who can give confidence to teachers that we can change things for the better, please support me in this vital election.
Martin Powell-Davies
I wrote in my original nomination leaflet back in May that we will have to be ready for more attacks as the recession bites. It is now absolutely clear that, whoever forms the next Government, public services, and public sector workers, face the threat of serious cutbacks and further privatisation.
As before, when this Government first came for teachers’ pensions, we have to be ready to respond with united trade union action to defend our pensions once again. We also have to unite with parents and our local communities in a joint battle to oppose cuts, job losses and further privatisation of schools. As Vice-President, I would make it my priority to build the unity in action that we need to defend teachers and schools.
The national officers that the NUT will elect this term will have to help lead the Union into action. But are we ready for the battles to come?
School reps and local union officers are already run ragged trying to keep on top of the casework and campaigns we face. We must inspire a new layer of teachers into union activity. Above all, we must give NUT members the confidence that we have a strategy that can successfully defend teachers and education.
On too many key issues, like workload, we have not been able to turn the tide. That’s why I have successfully argued at Conference for a change of strategy. A campaign of national action to win a National Contract that really limits teacher workload and class sizes is a strategy that can make a difference. It is time that policy is put into practice.
If you want a Vice-President who can speak up for teachers, who can help develop a strategy to defend education in the battles to come, and who can give confidence to teachers that we can change things for the better, please support me in this vital election.
Martin Powell-Davies
Bexley NUT nominates Martin
My thanks to Bexley NUT officers for the invitation to speak at their hustings tonight - and to the Bexley NUT members who voted for my nomination. I was pleased to receive the highest support given to any of the five names put to the meeting.
Martin
Martin
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