Martin Powell-Davies, Member of the NUT executive
NUT protest outside the Department of Education by teachers and parents opposed to the GCSE regrading in August 2012, photo Neil Cafferky (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Education secretary Michael Gove’s announcement that he plans to attack our holidays and conditions, on top of his attacks on pay, have angered teachers right across the country.
In the North-West, those attacks will only encourage an even stronger response to the call for joint NUT/NASUWT regional strike action on 27 June.
Over 500 teachers packed into rallies in Liverpool and Manchester on 27 April. Reps left inspired and even more determined to bring out every school on strike.
In London, according to the calendar of action agreed at NUT conference, teachers will not be called out on strike until the Autumn.
But national executive members for both Inner and Outer London agreed to propose to this month’s regional council that we confirm plans for a London NUT march and rally after school on 27 June and to encourage leafleting on public stalls, particularly on Saturday 8 June.
This is to explain to parents why Gove’s attacks are a danger to children’s education.
Our calendar of regional and national strike action continues next term. I understand it is likely that London teachers will take regional action alongside others in October.
Teachers in other parts of the country may also strike in September. These regional strikes should build to a joint national strike in November – and action beyond that.
A Lewisham NUT general meeting proposed that the NUT call on other TUC unions to join with us in coordinated national strike action on that day – a demand that I fully support.
Joint strike action across teaching and non-teaching unions can really help to pile the pressure on government to pull back from its continued programme of cuts and privatisation.
