NUT and UCU strike action in London on 28 March 2012 , photo Senan (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Teachers’ pay and pensions have come under sustained attack from the Con-Dems but now education secretary Michael Gove is launching further attacks on working conditions and workload.
Martin Powell-Davies, a member of the national executive of the NUT teachers’ union explains the strike in the North West on 27 June must be just the beginning of the action.
Members of the NUT and NASUWT teachers’ union across 22 local authorities in the North West of England are being called upon to strike. Strike rallies will be taking place in Manchester, Preston, Chester and Liverpool.
Across the rest of England and Wales, teachers are being asked to show their solidarity with the North West action by wearing stickers, sending in messages and photos of support, and other actions. There was a regional march and rally in London on 25 June.
27 June has to be just the start of a bold calendar of action. At the very least, unions now need to boldly implement the existing plan for further joint NUT/NASUWT action next term.
That would mean announcing the dates for the next regional strikes in September and October, as well as making plans to coordinate our proposed national strike in November with other unions looking to take action against government attacks, such as the PCS.
However, Gove already knows we’ve got that action planned and he’s still going on the attack. To show this government – and our teaching colleagues – that we are serious, we now need to accelerate and escalate our action plans.
I believe that we should now be considering calling a one-day national strike early next term and then preparing for a two-day strike to defend teachers and education.
This would be a step towards the 24-hour general strike necessary to fight all the government attacks.
- Don’t let Gove destroy young people’s education
- Don’t let Gove wreck teachers’ lives
- National strike action can beat back Gove!
Martin Powell-Davies is to stand for NUT national vice-president in an election in the autumn. NUT associations are being asked to nominate Martin for this position. For more details see: electmartin1.blogspot.com
“Pay, pensions, workload, holidays, Ofsted, surveillance… the attacks on teachers have never been as severe.
In many schools this government has created an atmosphere of terror. Managers with no teaching responsibility roam schools armed with clipboards and Ofsted-inspired grids, pouncing on teachers. ‘Drop-ins’ that turn into capability procedures are in vogue.
Education secretary Gove hopes to ‘do a Maggie’ and smash the teachers but this is a weak and divided Coalition which we can beat.
Our 27 June strike must be just the first step in pressing back the government’s offensive. We have to win.
We have to escalate to win. We have to show the weak and divided coalition our iron determination. We will not be a sacrifice to Gove’s ambition! Victory to the teachers!”
Peter Glover, Liverpool NUT and NUT national executive member for Merseyside and Cheshire
Come to National Shop Stewards Network conference, which will have the campaign for a 24-hour general strike at its heart
29 June, 11am – 5pm Camden Centre, Judd Street, London WC1H 9JE
Fee: £6 per person. For more information contact:
[email protected], or see: www.shopstewards.net
