Vote Yes in snap poll and
build for funding fight
Our pressure has moved the government- but not far enough and we need to campaign and fight if we want to win proper funding for education and restore educators’ pay to proper levels.
That’s the message from the government’s June spending review.
From Saturday 21 June NEU teacher members will be asked in a snap poll- by text and email- to vote to endorse a strategy agreed at the NEU Executive.
This is to say loud and clear:
- we do not agree with unfunded pay awards,
- we will campaign and fight to win proper funding, and
- we will continue to organise to get “ballot ready” with the aim of being in a position to call a national formal action ballot if the government does not cough up more in its autumn budget.
Every district needs to move quickly to ensure the best response in the snap poll- which is only open for a week until Friday 27th June.
We need districts to organise ring rounds of reps and ballot volunteers in the coming week to let them know to vote Yes and also to go round school or hold a school meeting to push the same message.
Then we need two things done in parallel over the rest of this term and the start of the new school year in September.
One is to build activity, pressure and local campaigns on school funding- with stalls, meetings, lobbies and more- order materials from the NEU nationally for your area urgently and get planning and organising.
The second is to continue the drive to get “ballot ready” by contacting members, getting meetings in schools without reps to get more reps in place- so we are ready to fight.
Money
The government now says it will pay the 4% from September the STRB recommended- and will put some more money in.
But there is still a £630 million shortfall that is equivalent to 12,400 staff jobs- 5,700 teachers and 6,700 support staff.
That’s why 75 percent of primary schools and 92 percent of secondaries still face cuts- on top of the devastating cuts over the last decade and more that have damaged education, educators and children so much.
The government says its plans will mean a real terms 0.4% increase in education spending a year over the next three years. That’s if their optimistic inflation figures are to be believed of course.
But even that will just restore funding to the level it was under Boris Johnson’s Covid government- hardly something to get over excited about or celebrate.
Last year Britain’s education spending was down to 3.9 percent of GDP- one of the lowest of any advanced countries and way below the 5 precent average of OECD industrlalised countries.
And when you learn that in Sweden they spend 7.1 percent and in Denmark 6.4 percent of GDP on education it shows how shameful Britain’s education funding criss is.
Fight
We are going to have to fight this government to force them to cough up. We need £14.1 billion just to bring education spending up to the OECD average.
That would begin to address the funding crisis and the damage it has caused and begin to address pay restoration- with educators’ pay having fallen by over 20 percent since 2010 in real terms – even after the pay rises we have won through strikes in recent years.
The money is there to fund education properly and to delivery restoration.
The richest 50 families in Britain now own more wealth than the poorest 50 percent of the entire population.
A 2 percent wealth tax on the 20,000 people with assets over £10 million would raise £24 billion a year. If Capital Gains Tax on wealth and profits was set at the same level as the taxes on income that working people pay that would raise another £12 billion a year.
If the Corporation Tax on big business profits was simply put back to the levels it was under Margaret Thatcher’s Tory governments of the 1980s that would raise another £25 billion a year.
The money is there. We won’t get it for education unless we campaign, organise and get ready to fight.
End the genocide in Gaza
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been murdered in Gaza.
Complete destruction of the health system, schools and universities and housing blocks razed to the ground – nobody can say they didn’t know this was happening it has been live screened across social media.
For days now there has been a complete blockade, no food no water no medication and now all power has been cut off.Over the past few days we have witnessed starving Palestinians trying to reach aid points being shot at by the military.
Tom Fletcher UN RELIEF chief recently stated, “I can tell you from having visited what’s left of Gaza’s medical system that death on this scale has a sound and a smell that does not leave you,”
“As one hospital worker described it, ‘children scream as we peel burnt fabric from their skin.’”
In the last week we have seen those on the Madleen freedom flotilla arrested and detained breaking international law, those on the march to Gaza attacked, arrested and their passports taken.
Their crime? Speaking out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza and attempts to expose the inhumane blockade.
The steps taken by the government are grotesquely inadequate and will serve to maintain Britain’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Words are not enough – we need action – we need our government to end all arms sales to Israel and to impose sanctions.
Starmer has lost the country on the question of Palestine. That is the power of our collective action!
The question now is can we do more?
Our government continue to export weapons and military technology used by Israel to carry out its genocide and enforce its blockade on Gaza, including parts for Israel’s F-35 fighter jets. Recently in court, the government argued that ensuring the integrity of the F-35 supply chain was more important than stopping Israel’s genocide.
On Tuesday 17th June PSC have actions outside three arms factories providing F35 Parts in Sheffield, Hampshire and Kent. If you can please get along.
We need to do more to build the BDS campaign. PSC has recently launched its ‘Don’t buy apartheid’ campaign – check out the website and get involved.
Council divestment campaigns are being built up and down the country – contact your local PSC branch and get involved.
We must continue to march, protest, hold vigils and public meetings. Contact your MP using PSC E-actions but above all keep speaking out.
The next national march is on Saturday 21st June make sure your trade union banner is there.
Finally make sure you join PSC and ensure your district is affiliated.
We know that history did not begin on October 7th Palestinians have suffered decades of oppression and dispossession. This genocide is built on the foundations of more than 77 years of colonisation, military occupation and apartheid.
Our solidarity is needed now more than ever not just in our words but in our actions too. We cannot allow our movement to be silenced – we must continue to march, to protest, to boycott and to raise our voices.
by Louise Regan
AID CUTS = EMPTY CLASSROOMS
Keir Starmer’s devastating cut to the aid budget to fund an increase in defence spending will take UK spending on overseas aid to its lowest level in nearly 30 years.
Aid spending on education is now at risk of being scrapped all together. 2.2 million children are set to lose out on their education because of the cuts.
✏️ Please write to your MP today using the NEU’s action tool and urge the government to continue to fund education for the world’s most vulnerable children.
https://aid-cuts-empty-classrooms.neuaction.io
Refugee Solidarity
It is vital that we show our support and solidarity with refugees during a time where hostility towards migrants is rising and false narratives are being pushed by the mainstream media. As trade unionists we can counter those narratives and educate people about the truth and realities of people who are seeking sanctuary in the UK. One way we can achieve this is to volunteer with organisations and bear witness for the people we meet who are displaced in northern France.
Activists within the NEU have been organising delegations to northern France to volunteer with Care 4 Calais for many years. Recently we have also begun working with a smaller organisation called Roots who provide humanitarian support and services to displaced people in Dunkirk with a focus on dignity, sustainability and mutual aid.
You can find out further information about the organisation here:
https://www.charitableroots.com
Roots relies entirely upon donations and volunteers, if you would like to donate to the charity you can do so here:
https://www.charitableroots.com/donations-page
Refugee Week
Refugee Week takes place 16th-20th June and is an ideal opportunity to raise awareness within our schools, communities and NEU Districts. The theme for 2025 is ‘Community as a Superpower’. Schools and organisations around the UK will be taking part in activities during refugee week to help celebrate the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
Further information and resources on refugee week can be found here: https://refugeeweek.org.uk/
Strike solidarity
Back OGAT strikes
NEU and NASUWT members at 14 schools run by the Outwood Grange Academy Trust are striking against attempts to lengthen the school day and increase teacher workload in a landmark fight against one of the major MAT’s in the country.
This is a battle for whole union- and everyone should rally to show solidarity by joining picket lines in the strikes set for 17th, 18th and 19th June and others after that, and by sending solidarity messages via the Strike Map Solidarity Wall- see links below.
The schools are in Wakefield, Yorkshire, East Midlands the North East and North West.
Debbie Kahler for Wakefield NEU says: “Our committed and hard-working members of the National Education Union have voted for strike action on the grounds of workload and changes to the current school day.
“This is not a decision they have taken lightly, as they have the best interest of the children at heart. They need a realistic working day.Teachers already have a huge workload which is having significant impact on the retention of teachers in schools.
“Teachers are working harder and longer. The Trust can no longer ignore the pressures teachers are under. It’s time to invest in what truly matters, support the staff and pupils. Squeezing more teaching into an already jam-packed working day is not the solution. Outwood Grange Academy are putting more strain on teachers, on their work life balance, and affecting the teaching staff of families.”
Send your support for this crucial fight via Strike Map- with a message or a video
📽️Upload a message: http://bit.ly/OGATSolidarity
🪞View the #Solidaritwall: http://bit.ly/OGATsolidaritwall
Village Victory in Brent
After three days of solid strike action, with over 100 on strike and over 60 on each days picket line NEU member at Village School in Brent have won an important victory. The majority of the strikers are support staff as the school is a social school.
The original leave of absence policy restored and reimbursement won for all staff who lost money through the operation of the rogue policy Written agreements are now isn place type ensure proper profess between the Test and union over any future changes. And the NEU gained over 20 new members in the fight too.
As Brent NEU put it: “When all else fails, don’t despair: STRIKES WORK”
B6 a fight for education
BSix Sixth Form College was taken over by New City College, a large corporation, in the summer of 2024. The NEU group anticipated that this merger would change BSix as a local community college, the only one in Hackney to offer local young people a chance to study A levels with lower entry grades, and instead become part of the notorious empire that NCC stands for.
Over the last year, we’ve had strikes over implementing the Sixth Form pay rise, which we won, and have confronted NCC over the cancellation of a black history conference.
On 1 May, it was announced that 43 posts were at risk, the complete removal of all A levels, the removal of the award winning Knowledge is Power enrichment programme, a slash of staff posts relating to supporting our students and a forced alignment with the NCC matrix. This is despite BSix achieving the best A level results across NCC last year. We give students a chance to study A levels, hence the retention rate is 11% lower than that of NCC. This is the rationale to remove all A levels. Or in their words, we need to fit their business plan.
92% of members voted to take strike action which began on 12 June and will go on until 4 July.
This follows a fantastic public meeting with speakers including Kevin Courtney, Duncan Blackie from the post 16 Exec, Stafford Scott and other local campaigners. 120 people turned up to the meeting including a Guardian journalist.
Our first strike day was amazing and we had local healthworkers and council workers on our picket line. Gary Younge spoke, as well as Kevin Courtney. The management didn’t like it and commented on how it was ‘unnecessarily large’.
We continue the strike from next Tuesday when Gary Younge will do a Teach Out.
The consultation has ended, but our fight to keep the values and ethos of BSix continues.
Round up
NEU members at St Brendan’s 6th form college in Bristol were out over workload and working patterns. Send messages of support to [email protected]
London East Alternative Provision NEU members in Tower Hamlets, east London still out on strike due to demands left unmet. They’re asking for more robust plans to safeguard staff and students after the closure of the Riverside site.Tower hamlets messages of support to https://eastlondonneu.org/
NEU members at Leytonstone school in Waltham Forest are striking over changes to the working day which will see a reduction in lunchtime for students. The current proposals will see lunchtime cut by 50% and an increase in duty time for staff. Members feel it’s an attack on the wellbeing of students and will shift the financial burden on to families. Incredibly, it took the threat of strike action before the school decided to consult parents. Even more amazing was a stress test that was carried out on the day of Arafat when a large number of students were fasting!
Members have agreed to escalate strike action.
Next strike dates
Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th June
Solidarity messages to
[email protected]
All aboard for Climate Justice
NEU Annual Conference 2025 has helped our union launch a year of trade union action on climate change as well as strengthening green bargaining policy, placing green reps squarely within school rep teams, all fighting for improved rights collectively.
Just Transition is finally being recognised across the union and climate movement as a concept which impacts public sector workers in education, health and care; not heavy carbon industry alone. Our regional and national climate network/s across the NEU are growing and with this an awareness of climate justice issues, international solidarity and the links with the greed and power that we see in every other matter of justice.
Heat Strike UK, present at our fringe, is fast gaining traction with its call for section 44 action when temperatures rise to unsafe levels, and rightly so; we can learn the lessons that came too late for workers in the informal sectors across India and the Middle East, with women and disabled people worst affected.
As I write this, the global “Just Transition Rising” event is taking place, where we have heard from the GKN car factory workers in Florence who occupied their closing factory, forming a workers cooperative, funded by the worldwide union and climate movement, to produce bikes with solar panels. It CAN be done!
We need everyone on board to deal with the changes that have come and are coming; organisations need to fight together against the Trumps and Farages who seek to protect themselves; our workers cannot remain passive recipients of extreme weather, climate, rising food costs and lack of resources. With 1.5 degrees gone as a benchmark, there is nothing left but to fight on to limit damage- come on everyone!
Get on board! The left needs you and nature and planet needs the left.
By Jenny Cooper, NEU Exec
