The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has just held its last national conference before merging with other teaching unions to become the National Education ‘super-union’. This year’s conference, however, was notable for seeing teachers vote to strike against Tory cuts that have left staff overworked and schools under-funded.
On Saturday 25th March, up to 1000 people gathered in Durham to take part in the solidarity protest and rally organised by the Durham teaching assistants. We publish here a report and interview by the Newcastle and Durham Marxist societies about the struggle of the TAs against wage cuts.
Schools up and down the country have been shut down today, as a result of a one-day strike action by the National Union of Teachers (NUT). Demonstrations in all major cities brought out thousands of teachers onto the streets in protest against the Tory plans for academisation of schools and the cuts to education that have been seen as a result of austerity.
Michael Gove, the hated Tory MP, was demoted from his position as Minister for Education in a recent Cabinet reshuffle. Teachers across the country celebrated Gove’s removal. But whilst Gove may be gone, the Tory attacks on teachers will continue. The unions need to maintain the fight against the Coalition and their austerity programme.
Easter Weekend saw the annual gatherings of the two largest teacher unions, the NASUWT and the NUT. Both unions are preparing for the election of their respective general secretaries, so it was a time of particularly acute reflection upon union strategy and tactics, in the face of the savage attacks on education by the coalition government and the forces of capitalism. Siôn Reynolds, delegate to the NASUWT conference, reports.
On 26th March 2014, members of the National Union of Teachers will be taking one-day national strike action over attacks on wages and conditions. John Pickard of the Mid-Essex NUT (personal capacity) looks at the reasons behind the upcoming strike and analyses the mood amongst teachers.
The strength of feeling among teachers can be seen in the magnificent turnout for the regional strikes that took place this month on October 1st and 17th. Teachers in the NUT and NAS/UWT, representing 90 per cent of teachers, have come out en masse, with the result that thousands of schools have been closed for the day. John Pickard of the Essex NUT looks at the issues behind the latest strikes.
In an historic alliance, the two biggest teaching unions, representing 95% of the teaching workforce, are engaged in sustained industrial action. Siôn Reynolds from the NASUWT reports on the “work to rule” action being taken by teachers.