Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/633/9991
From The Socialist newspaper, 21 July 2010
Education workers must teach Tories a lesson
TRADE UNIONS organising education workers, including NUT, NASUWT and UNISON, lobbied parliament on 19 July against the disgraceful cancelling of building and repair work to be carried out under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme and the undemocratic fast-tracking of the Con-Dems' flagship Academies bill.
Greg Maughan
Over 1,000 education workers piled into Westminster central hall for a rally before lobbying MPs. Teachers had also mobilised students who posed for TV cameras with homemade banners and placards and later headed an impromptu march on the Department for Education office on Whitehall.
Students told The Socialist how major problems with their school building, including holes in the walls and broken windows, made it impossible for them to concentrate. These problems had been due to be fixed as part of BSF.
Education workers clearly have the support of their pupils, parents and the wider working class. Education workers' unions should be confident to call further action calling for improvements to be made to schools, though not involving profit-grabbing private firms who tend to divert resources from meeting students' and teachers' needs into the pockets of fat cats!
They should also call action against privatisation and the break-up of national trade union agreements stemming from the Academies bill.
This could include making preparation for strike action in September, but will also need to involve action to continue campaigning over the summer.
Why not click here to join the Socialist Party, or click here to donate to the Socialist Party.
In The Socialist 21 July 2010:
Socialist Party youth and students
Youth and students: organise to fight for a future
Socialist Party Marxist analysis
Anti-cuts campaign
Education workers must teach Tories a lesson
Socialist Party workplace news
Wales: No to fire service cuts
Strike action wins at Tube Lines
Socialist Party workplace analysis
PCS: a strategy to stop the cuts
Unite the struggle to defend pensions
Socialist Party NHS campaign
Con-Dems propose denationalisation of the NHS
Socialist Party
The Socialist Party needs you!
More join the Socialist Party in Yorkshire
Funding the socialist fightback
International socialist news and analysis
Building new workers' parties and the tasks of socialists
Egypt: Thousands protest over brutal police killing
Comment
Harder work, longer hours... All part and parcel?
A testing 'pudding' for councillors
Keep probation services public
Home | The Socialist 21 July 2010 | Join the Socialist Party
Join us today!
Printable version
email to friend
