Pete Webster calls for solidarity with striking educationists and describes government attacks on education and the health and social care systems as part of the ruthless neoliberal drive to warfare not welfare. There is an urgent need to build solidarity networks both locally and internationally to challenge government priorities at home and abroad.

Teaching Assistants at Woodfields School in Brent returned to the picket line on Tuesday morning in a continuation of their longstanding dispute. Talks at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service ( ACAS) failed to make progress when the management offered a policy of ‘fire and rehire’ on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis. The union decided to ‘leave it’, despite the threat of dismissal for those who would not accept the offer, and has announced another 23 days of strike action until the end of term in July. There will be further pickets this week on Thursday and Friday from 7.30 am. See our Events page for future dates.

The school specialises in Special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision for children with a wide range of special needs. The highly skilled teaching assistants are passionate about their work and have close working relationships with their pupils, who benefit from a consistent approach.

Instead of seeing sense, and negotiating a just settlement, management have organised a scab labour force to run a play scheme for a limited number of pupils during the action. This attempt at strikebreaking is being legally challenged by the NEU.

Education under attack

Woodfields is just one of many schools embroiled in industrial action at the moment over pay and conditions, including Brick Lane School in Tower Hamlets. The Great Ormond Street Hospital School is also on strike and has called a march and rally for 4pm this Thursday in Camden. It would be good to get along. There was a commitment from the Woodfield picket to send a delegation in solidarity and to make links with other educationists in dispute.

These are just a few examples, and although the issues at each one are unique, this belies what is effectively a widespread assault on our education system. There is a general push to drive down wages, enact redundancies, increase class sizes and make arbitrary changes to shift patterns. This isn’t coincidental but stems from a choice by central government to starve the sector of funding. In particular there  seems to be a pattern of targeting schools that excel in Send provision as Teaching Assistants are grossly undervalued by local authority and academy run schools and are seen as an easy option to reduce costs.

This attack is reflected in the paltry – and unfunded – three-year pay deal of 6.5% with a 2% uplift this year. This is way below the real inflation rate on the high street and constitutes a pay cut. The National Education Union (NEU) has announced a campaign to deliver a massive rejection of the offer when a ballot opens in the autumn. It is vitally important that reps raise this now to ensure the largest vote possible.

The attack on education isn’t solely confined to the primary and secondary sectors. The University sector is having to undergo massive restructuring. Income has reduced considerably since changes in charges for overseas students has seen them apply for degrees in other countries. More than fifty universities are cited to close in the next year, with a devastating impact on jobs, students and local communities.

Recently the bosses at Goldsmiths University suspended the contracts of 147 lecturers who were engaged in an exam marking and assessment boycott, effectively locking them out. In response the University and College Union (UCU) have called an indefinite strike, to commence Monday 8 June.

A ruthless government drive to warfare not welfare

None of these issues have come about by accident. They are being driven by a ruthless government determined to push through more and more austerity measures. Not only is education under fire but so is our health and social care system, with social security payments and the state pension under threat. Meanwhile utility companies are allowed to make huge profits and deliver poor services. Rents are astronomical. Youth unemployment now stands at more than a million.

There is, however, money aplenty for the military and the armaments industry. The share of GDP towards military and allied sectors will increase year-on-year for the foreseeable future with its consequential impact on further austerity measures. Conscription to the armed forces has been reintroduced in a number of European countries and is being mooted here too. A future that sees Britain as ‘war ready’ is a future that is devoid of hope for us and our children. At the end of the day it is a political choice.

Building solidarity networks both locally and internationally

There is an urgent need to challenge the government’s priorities. That will not come from a change of prime minister who will be replaced by another neo-liberal supporting politician.

It must come from building solidarity networks wherever we can, including amongst teaching staff and the communities they serve. All the more reason to join the rally in Camden on Thursday.

The situation here is being played out across Europe. The same race to rearm, the same race to make workers pay the cost for a crisis not of our making. That’s why the forthcoming International Anti-War Conference on 20 June is vitally important to start to build an effective continental opposition to the political elites who offer nothing for working people except further hardship.

Please send messages of solidarity to Brent NEU joint secretaries [email protected] and [email protected]