The NEU has announced further strike action for 5 and 7 July, as part of its long-running pay dispute with the Tory government.
The new dates arrive at a turning point in the struggle. Initially, this strike campaign aroused great enthusiasm from teachers all over England and Wales.
After years of marketisation, falling pay, and increasing workloads, the move to strike unleashed tremendous energy within the union. Thousands joined the NEU almost overnight. Pickets across the country were loud, enthusiastic, and well-attended.
Enormous joint days of action, such as 15 March, showed clearly who actually keeps schools and services running.
It is vital that the NEU and other unions now keep up this momentum, and increase the pressure on the Tories.
Tory intransigence
The Tories have remained intransigent in the face of all this action, with education secretary Gillian Keegan stating that she would not negotiate with the unions until the publication of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) report.
Yet despite receiving this report over a month ago, like a stroppy child, Keegan refuses to share it or talk to anyone over the issue of pay.
A leak from the Sunday Times claims that the report recommends a 6.5% pay increase – above the maximum Keegan was considering, but still miles below a return to 2010 levels.
Unfortunately, NEU leaders have indicated that they are open to considering a below-inflation offer of 6.5%. Rank-and-file members must make their voices heard, and mobilise to oppose any real-terms pay cut.
Simultaneously, Tory anti-union laws are forcing the NEU to reballot in order to continue striking into the autumn.
But the struggle is beginning to spread. The NEU will now be joined in their reballot by the other major education unions – NASUWT, NAHT, and ASCL – who are all seeking to gain an initial strike mandate.
For the ASCL, this is the first national ballot in its over-100-year history. While we will only know if any of these ballots have been successful by the summer holidays, it is clear that the struggle in education is only beginning.
Fighting strategy
There is now a debate within the NEU as to how best to advance the struggle.
The main question is over whether to wait until September in order to potentially strike alongside the other teaching unions, or to maintain the momentum with strike dates before then.
Similarly, there is anger amongst some members over the decision of the NEU leadership to cut the number of proposed strike dates for the upcoming action from three to two.
One rep, for example, speaking to Socialist Appeal comrades, stated:
“It’s a wasted opportunity. Look at the last time too. They stopped the strikes, halting the momentum of striking staff for talks when nothing was offered…These [strike] days should be together. Let’s go for maximum impact!”
It is clear that there is still very much a mood to fight amongst the rank and file. But frustration is also now growing alongside this militancy, as the limits of the union’s strategy of isolated strikes and defensive actions becomes apparent.
It is vital that the union leaders break through any fatigue or pessimism by keeping up the momentum of the campaign, and offering members a militant fighting perspective.
This means ensuring that any new strike days are not treated as one-off events or rearguard battles, but are instead linked to a broader campaign to escalate and expand the struggle going forwards.
United struggle
To win, we must be clear in our aims. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the only route to a lasting victory is through the forcible removal of the Tories from power by the working class.
The NEU, alongside sister unions in education and across the public sector, have an opportunity to do exactly this, with struggles ongoing in the NHS, local government, and more.
Cross-union action – based around rank-and-file strike committees in workplaces such as schools, hospitals, councils, and more – is needed to break the deadlock.
Combined with support and solidarity from students and parents, who are overwhelmingly workers themselves, we can forge a powerful mass movement to take on the government.
Through its members, the NEU can reach up to 8.2 million families across England and Wales. From the smallest village, to the densest cities: there is nowhere in the country without teachers.
Teachers – united with nurses, local council staff, and other public sector workers – therefore have the ability to spearhead a wider campaign of sustained, hard-hitting strike action, that can drive the Tories out.
Kick capitalism out of education!
For workers to be inspired to take part in such a movement, they need to be given something more enthusing to fight for than the prospect of a big business Starmer government.
Instead, what is needed is a bold socialist programme: one that ensures that schools, hospitals, transport, and public services are fully funded through the expropriation of the billionaires and bankers; and that these institutions are all placed under the control of workers themselves.
Above all, this requires a fighting leadership – with the determination to take the struggle to its conclusion – to show the way forward and kick capitalism out of education.
Model motion: Escalate the action
Branch notes that:
- The NEU has called for two days of strike action at the end of the summer term.
- The Tory Party are being intentionally intransigent, shown by their failure to publish the STRB report despite sitting on it for over a month.
- The crisis in education has not been solved, but exacerbated, by 13 years of Tory government.
- A strong mood exists in society to fight back against the injustices of capitalism, including the cost-of-living crisis and austerity.
Branch believes that:
- This campaign will only be won by widening the struggle to include other unions from across different sectors, alongside parents and students.
- The establishment of parent and student solidarity committees would have an electrifying effect on the morale of members, and would massively build support for our union’s campaign.
- A cross-union campaign to kick out the Tories would win concessions not just for education, but for the whole working class.
- To inspire active participation in such a movement requires a bold socialist programme.
Branch resolves to lobby the national executive committee to:
- Call for sustained and consecutive strike days in the autumn term.
- Call for the creation of parent and student solidarity committees, to support the campaign at a local level.
- Call on the TUC and other unions to launch a mass campaign aimed at removing the Tories from power, on the basis of a socialist programme demanding:
- The repeal of all anti-trade union laws.
- A £20 per hour minimum wage for all, indexed to inflation.
- The reversal of all Tory austerity, and full funding for all public services, paid for by the expropriation of the billionaires.
