Pete Webster reports from the National Education Union rally against cuts to the pay and conditions of teachers

Educational disputes across London brought together four striking schools currently fighting back against a raft of issues in a joint rally outside the Department for Education on the 7th May.

At the Great Ormond Street Hospital, that cares for poorly children often for months, management have sacked National Education Union (NEU) rep Kate Williams, alongside two other senior reps, after the union submitted a collective grievance, including abuse of disciplinary processes and bullying. Quite rightly the members are also demanding her reinstatement. The dispute was triggered last September, with over 30 days of strike action so far. Management have refused to negotiate since then.

Rally Speeches

Addressing the rally Megan Quinn, of Camden NEU, said ‘These are in some ways four very different disputes with issues ranging from fair pay for support staff to extreme trade union victimisation and bullying at Great Ormond Street Hospital School’.

She continued ‘we also have members here from Connaught School for Girls in Waltham Forest fighting back against redundancies and trade union victimisation, members from Woodlands School in Harrow fighting for equal pay and members here from Highgate Woods School in Haringey against poor management and redundancies’.

In his speech Daniel Kebede, NEU General Secretary, said ‘I am ashamed that we’ve got to be here. I really hope on this local election day we are going to punish this Labour government and send a a very clear message to Bridget Phillipson, because what they are doing to our schools is an absolute disgrace. Everyone here wants to be in school doing the job that they love and trained for, but because of the government’s austerity agenda then that is not possible’.

He continued ‘If there is money for hypersonic missiles, there is money for school support staff. If there is money for bombs then there is money for maths teachers and books. We are going to take the fight to this government like never before!’.

He also pointed out that there were many other NEU disputes across the country and that the union stands in ‘absolute solidarity with every dispute that is happening’.

He emphasised the need for an overwhelming vote in favour of industrial action in the autumn ballot over the derisory 6.5% three-year pay offer that would only give a 2% rise this year. He called on members in every branch to start building support amongst colleagues now as it was also a fight for dignity at work and fare funding. Most importantly to save an education system that our children deserve. 

The rep from Highgate Woods school, Owen said ‘we were dragged into a meeting with the bosses a few weeks ago and we were told that we were going to see 17 redundancies. That’s over ten per cent of the staff at the school. Seven support staff and ten teachers!’ On top of that there would be increased contact time and increasing class sizes. ‘We do not accept this austerity agenda… education services are being cut to the bone by this this Labour government. The NHS is in crisis. Social care too. There is money for bombs and bullets but there is no money for schools and healthcare’.

Woodlands School rep Johnny said ‘support staff at Woodland School have had their Special Education Needs (SEN) pay stolen from them – the lowest paid members there. The backbone of our organisation, the heart and lungs of any SEN school. It is not acceptable. They deserve to be paid (the same rate as other local schools) and it is a disgrace what is happening at Woodlands School at the moment and something needs to change.’

NEU President, Ed Harlow, spoke about the strike at Connaught School for Girls where the NEU rep is facing redundancy, as are nine other members, in a massive restructure that only comes as a result of funding cuts in education.

Preparing the Ground for Action

The policy of starving education of funding is a direct consequence of the government’s ongoing imposition of austerity and these measures will not be reversed unless there is a coordinated fight back against underfunding, a derisory pay offer, increased workloads and redundancies. That is why it is critically important to start preparing the ground for a massive vote for action in the autumn ballot and gear up for a determined all out strike.

The anger is there and the 2% increase this year will be insignificant in no time as the impact of Trump’s illegal war against Iran feeds into the cost of living crisis for everybody. It also impacts disproportionately on working people with the poorest being hit the hardest.

Teachers are not alone in the ongoing attacks. Lecturers in further and higher education are also facing severe attacks and our NHS and its staff are in financial crisis. The job of building local  solidarity networks now for any future strike action, whether in education or the wider trade union movement, would be a positive step forward. We can be certain that there will be no fundamental change in government policy – that will only come about by a determined struggle from below. For that, we need to get organised.