NEU Left Bulletin 24-05-23

STRB report leak shows our fight is having an impact…..

Now let’s step up the pressure

Fight for every vote in strike ballot

It was already vital that we organise and fight for every vote in our reballot, to beat the anti-union thresholds and send a clear message to the government that we are going to fight on to win a proper and funded pay rise.

The STRB report leak last weekend, if it is true, underlines even more why keeping up our fight and making sure we drive the turnout over the thresholds really matters.

The leak claims the STRB is recommending a 6.5 percent rise from September.

That’s a shift from anything that has been offered by the government up to now, and shows our strikes and pressure are having an impact.

Crucial questions

But it’s not enough and is still below inflation, and still below what teachers in Scotland settled for. It also leaves crucial questions unanswered.

  • What about this year’s pay – which is what our fight was originally about?
  • Will the government even accept the STRB recommendation-or will it try, as it has in the past, to refuse to accept it?
  • What about funding? Any pay rise that is not fully funded is worthless- and was a  key reason why members overwhelmingly rejected the previous offer- as did all the other teaching unions.

All four teaching unions- ourselves, the NASUWT, and the heads NAHT and ASCL- are balloting on strikes- and both Unison and our union are moving to start ballots of support staff too.

Our first priority has to be to pile the pressure on the government by ensuring we win our ballot and beat the anti-union thresholds.

And last week the NEU executive agreed that unless the government comes up with an acceptable pay offer it would, at its next meeting in June, agree dates in the week beginning 3rd July for three days of strikes as agreed at conference.

What to do

The STRB leak shows our pressure is starting to count.Now is the time to pile on the pressure.

  • Every school should hold a meeting- we know that where this happens it drives up the turn out
  • Every district should hold pay meetings and briefings and fight to get reps and members there- again we know from previous ballots that where this happens it drives up the turn out.
  • We need to push reps and other activists to go round school and chase down every vote and confirm this on the union dashboard.
  • We need to organise at a district and regional level to reach out to other schools in every way possible.
  • Phone banking, messaging- every weapon we have needs to be thrown into getting every possible vote in the post as soon as possible.

Our fight so far has been brilliant- now let’s pile on the pressure and make sure we win.

Disabled members conference

by Pablo Phillips

This year’s conference was excellent for those keen on building the strength of the Union.

That has been helped in large parts by exec seat holder Colleen Johnson over a number of years supporting various aspects of the disabled members network.

This year’s conference saw two motions passed, with one being prioritised. Both motions were outward looking rather than focusing on the negative aspects of bureaucratic union structures. The motion prioritised looks to build resources for educators to be able to build a sense of pride and accessibility for disabled members.

The motion not prioritised, but passed, from Louise Moores and John Myers, focused on building an organising model of training reps and officers in using the excellent disability toolkit. Speeches for both were well received and you could feel a sense of optimism and pragmatism on being able to do things within the union and in the workplace. 

The workshops were excellent also. “Its not Ok” looked at how sexual harassment impacts disabled members, “organising a disability pride event”, “using the toolkit” and workshops on “reasonable adjustments” all looked at member involvement rather than a top down or focussing on union positions within the structure approach. Finally a brilliant film showing of Then Barbara met Alan followed by Barbara lisciki speaking to conference was a real highlight.

Disabled members are a growing force in the union and we need to link the oppression of disabled members to the wider political attacks on education.

If you have reports you would like to appear in future bulletins please send to neuleftblog@admin

NEU Left Bulletin 04-05-23

Outside the Department for Education on last week’s London strike march

Keep up the fight, organise to win the re-ballot

The NEU strike last week on Thursday 27th April and Tuesday 2nd May closed more schools than ever, according to official government data.


Across England members were out on picket lines again, and on the streets in force at marches and rallies.

In London a fantastic 10,000 strong march also included a minute’s silence outside the Department for Education in protest at Ofsted.

Below is a selection of strike pictures sent in from across the country.

If we are to win the fight for a proper and fully funded pay rise all our focus now needs to turn to win the reballot, required under anti-union laws, and which starts on 15th May.

In a boost to the fight the NASUWT teachers’ union and the NAHT and ASCL heads unions are also set to ballot on strikes- with the NAHT ballot beginning the same day as ours on 15th May.

There can be no complacency on the re-ballot- it will take the same massive organising drive as our first ballot and our strikes have seen to ensure we once again beat the thresholds and extend our mandate.

Message

If we and the other unions do that it will send a clear message to the government that the fight will not go away and that we could all be out together in September.

Call school meetings as a matter of urgency and strike committees in every district and get organising. Use the materials sent by the union, and also the ones in the links below to help.

On 18th May the NEU executive will meet to confirm the dates for the three days of strikes after the exams – so in late June or early July- that our conference voted for under our existing mandate.

Those strikes will take place just as ballot papers are arriving- and they can be a vital tool in winning the reballot.

Alongside rallies and pickets on some of those days we can organise at school level to get the vote out, and on another of the days districts can organise events and mass phone banking to drive up the turn out.

The fight could also be boosted by support staff starting to move towards a fight. At the end of May Unison is starting a national ballot on pay of all local government workers- over a million – including their school support staff.

The NEU executive has already agreed we will ballot our support staff members this term and seek to coordinate that with other unions representing support staff. That needs to go ahead.

With UCU, PCS RMT and ASLEF and the BMA junior doctors still striking too- and the nurses RCN also reballoting- the potential is still there for all of us to beat this government and win on pay and funding- but only if we organise now.

(see picture round up of strikes last week below)

This excellent powerpoint produced by Tower Hamlets NEU is very useful for school meetings:

https://bit.ly/NEU_reballot

Wanstead on a High

On the picket line at Wanstead during last week’s national strikes

NEU members at Wanstead High in Redbridge, East London had successfully balloted on strikes in a dispute with management. Last week they met for talks at ACAS and issued this statement afterwards:

“After seven hours of talks at ACAS today, we are pleased to report that there has been significant movement on our 17 demands by the employer. We are currently awaiting for the agreement to be written up. As long as the written agreement genuinely reflects the agreements reached in talks today, we believe we will be in a position to recommend the offer to our members and there would be no need for the strike action to take place.

As soon as we receive the written agreement, we will call a meeting of members to vote on the offer.

WANSTEAD HIGH SCHOOL NEU GROUP”

Many thanks to all the NEU members, school groups and districts that sent message of support to this important fight. On the back of the potential resolution of their school dispute NEU members at the school were out on the picket line in force as they joined the two days of national strikes last week.

NewVic fights on

NEU members at NewVic sixth form college in Newham, east London have been on strike for 12 days and are set to continue for 3 days a week until the end of term. 

Members are demanding management improve their internal procedures and stop bullying staff, alongside honouring an agreement from a previous strike in 2022. Separate from the national strike on pay the newvic strike encapsulates many of the other struggles that educators face, from overbearing management, academisation and restructures, to narrowing of the curriculum and management accountability. 

Management have upped the stakes by now threatening another restructure and course cuts and redundancies which has further angered the strikers. NEU membership has mushroomed at the college from 88 to 115 over the course of the dispute. Strikers are resolute and fighting a hard battle to win.

 Please sign this petition and circulate in your area to show solidarity with this important fight.

https://www.change.org/p/protect-the-newvic-curriculum?recruiter=66787827&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_medium=whatsapp&utm_content=washarecopy_36111296_en-GB%3A0&recruited_by_id=38591d26-c906-4184-9a59-fadd365257d3&share_bandit_exp=initial-36111296-en-GB

From the grassroots up

Last week saw an important development in building networks across different unions from the bottom up.

Over 400 people attended an online meeting on the theme “Build the strikes, link the fights, reject bad deals”.

It was initiated by the Strike Map group, NHS workers say No and Lambeth, Hackney and Tower Hamlets NEU districts in London. It also got backing from the UCU London region.

The meeting heard speakers from members of the doctors BMA. nurses RCN as well as NEU, UCU and others.

The meeting also agreed to back the following model motions (see links)- one is general, one specifically for NEU branches.

And the meeting agreed to develop this initiative with further meetings and activities as well as support other grassroots initiatives such as the Rank and File conference in London on 10 June – which NEU Left is also supporting:

Model motion is here

Hackney NEU model motion for NEU groups here

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-we-fight-how-we-win-a-rank-and-file-organising-conference-tickets-566742992547

Strike round up

Coventry

Oxford

Harlow

Portsmouth

Lancaster

Waltham Forest

Birmingham

Hackney

Derby

Tower Hamlets

North Somerset

Swindon

Stoke

York

Barnsley