In 2023, teachers all over the country went on strike to demand a pay rise, along with additional funding to match.
Rank-and-file members of the National Education Union (NEU) passionately threw themselves into industrial action. The union leadership, however, failed to take advantage of the mood on the ground.
Sporadic action was announced one or two days at a time, with no threat to escalate. This resulted in a pitiful pay ‘increase’ of 6.5%, at a time when inflation was in double-digits.
Rubbing salt in the wound, this wage rise was only partially funded by money from the government. And even this partial funding was later reduced further, putting more strain on school budgets.
Support staff, such as teaching assistants, have been particularly hard-hit by the cost-of-living crisis.
One of the positive steps the NEU took last year was to try and organise these workers alongside teachers. This effort was shamefully undercut by the TUC, which upheld a complaint by Unison to prevent such action from going ahead.
Indeed, this ruling provoked a large protest at the NEU’s annual conference, being held this week in Bournemouth, where TUC leader Paul Novak’s speech was interrupted by angry support staff.
Our leaders should be smashing through bureaucratic obstacles of this nature. But their actions at conference show a complete inability to do this.
Indicative ballots
The government’s ‘unexpected’ betrayal on funding motivated the NEU to launch online ‘indicative ballots’ for strike action earlier this year.
The response has been clear. At the time of writing, the consultation amongst support staff is still ongoing. But initial assessments indicate that turnout is nearing 50%, and support for strike action is well over 90%. And the figures are even higher for the teachers’ indicative ballot.
Even with this strong initial mandate, however, the union leadership is dragging its feet.
Perhaps most shamefully, Daniel Kebede – the new NEU general secretary, who bills himself as being on the left of the union – is going along with this prevarication.
On 3 April, during conference, Kebede said that the turnout on the indicative ballot was lower than last year’s. On this basis, he argued that a postal ballot would likely fail and only serve to ‘demoralise’ members.
The following day, the union’s executive committee promptly voted for a waffling resolution that essentially puts the membership in a holding pattern, with a formal ballot only likely in September.
Suspicion is beginning to spread that the union’s leaders are looking to wait until after the general election, in the false hope that things will be rosier for schools under a Starmer Labour government.
The mood amongst grassroots NEU activists has only sharpened in the course of events at conference this week, after two-thirds of the union’s NEC voted against proceeding to an immediate postal ballot, to the dismay of most delegates.
Organise the grassroots
The NEU is a major union, with strong traditions of militancy among its membership. Some are already talking about removing the right-wingers on the executive committee, who have been against a new round of strikes from the beginning.
The weakness of the general secretary and the rest of the ‘left’ leadership has been equally on display, however. The only solution is to build from the bottom.
Teachers who supported a vote against last year’s rotten deal are now calling for the union to “fire up the reps” at each school, in order to build support for strike action.
Activists are also debating what our demands should be in the next wave of struggle.
Revolutionary communists in the NEU are participating in this debate, raising a bold perspective and militant strategy that links our fight to defend education to the fight against capitalism:
- No trust in a Starmer government! We – the workers – must trust in our own power!
- Coordinate action with other unions! For unified strikes across the public sector!
- Overthrow the Tories and the rotten system they defend!
Ofsted outrage
Back in January, a day after the end of the pause on Ofsted inspections (due to an inquiry over related deaths), Ofsted paid a visit to my school! A lovely New Year’s gift!
To prevent a downgrade in the school’s rating, staff started pulling 14-hour shifts in order to all dance to the fiddle of these suited bureaucrats, most of whom have never taught a day in their life.
They arrive unannounced to your lesson, looking for anything that does not fit the government or academies’ standards, to ensure education remains how the ruling classes want it.
Under capitalism, education is sidelined, and the Ofsted whip is used against teachers.
As one teacher put it: “If you think management is bad now, wait until we drop down a grade. It’ll be even worse.”
If you don’t appear to toe the line – spouting nonsense about ‘British values’ or ‘democracy’, or enforcing educational techniques which push away real understanding – Ofsted will be there to remove even more of your autonomy.
I stand for most teachers when I say: enough is enough!
Let us abolish Ofsted and put the real experts in control: the teachers who dedicate so much energy to the development of their students.
Only when management is democratically accountable to the needs of their staff and their pupils can the real potential for education be realised.
Mark Anthony, Kingston Communists
Minimum service levels
The government’s Minimum Service Levels (MSL) legislation was always an absolute mess, in addition to being a very serious attack on workplace rights, requiring unions to ask their own members to scab on strikes.
In education, the responses from academy bosses to government consultation has been scathing.
94% of members of the Confederation of School Trusts believe the proposals could further damage recruitment and retention. We should exploit this division in the ruling class and defeat this law.
Many union members are not yet aware of the government’s intention to essentially ban strikes for primary school staff and swathes of others.
The NEU needs to mobilise against MSL – not just nationally and regionally, but through a programme of educating reps and organising members to resist this law, up to noncompliance if need be.
Members should also be clear that the Labour Party is far from a reliable ally when it comes to anti-union laws.
Joseph Flynn, Croydon NEU Secretary
Private school strike
The staff at Dame Allan’s, an independent school in Newcastle, have overwhelmingly voted to go on strike over a pension dispute.
Despite the phenomenal amount of money the school charges for student fees (£5,333 per term), the school is planning to reduce employer contributions to pensions by 40%.
If staff don’t agree, management has threatened to fire and rehire.
This school has taught Tory peers, journalists, and an Oxford University vice-chancellor – and yet it is not immune to the crisis in education.
In order to cut costs – or fund new £8 million buildings – the bosses will attack workers’ living standards: even when these workers are educating their very own children.
Given the decline of even the most prestigious schools in the country, it’s no surprise that education for the rest of us is in such a calamitous state.
Harry, Cambridge Communists
