"I'm here to fight for the future education of children in Hackney"

School staff picket in Hackney. Photo: Rob Williams (Click to enlarge)

Teaching assistants (TAs) in Hackney, east London took strike action against redundancies on 10-12 February. Hackney Socialist Party interviewed two striking TAs with over 30 years' service. Read more in 'Hackney teaching assistants strike against cruel and unnecessary job cuts' at socialistparty.org.uk

"We're on strike because there have been forced redundancies, and the numbers of support staff at our school, Colvestone Primary, have been cut completely in half.

So this means that the children of our school, when they do eventually come back, are not going to get the support they deserve and are entitled to.

There is no way that just five staff in this school will be able to cover all those children who have special educational needs. They have the money allocated to them through statements. They won't get the support that they deserve and is paid for.

This is just the start of it. This is going to happen across Hackney. They've already threatened to shut five schools within the next two years. That's why we're making a stand.

I've been made compulsorily redundant. But I'm still prepared to stand and fight to show solidarity for my colleagues who have been left behind, and who will face wage cuts and increased workloads.

That's why I'm here today on the picket line. To stand and fight for the future education of children in Hackney.

The 'reason' for redundancies of support staff is the budget deficit and falling numbers of children. The governing body have a financial committee. Why have they not, before it got to this stage, looked at how they were spending money?

And furthermore, children have left Colvestone Primary to go to Shacklewell. They've increased their numbers, but we've lost children. So they need to look at why children are leaving this particular school, a small community school where every child knows every member of staff, and vice versa.

What is going wrong at Colvestone that is not at Shacklewell? It's to do with the way the school's managed. It's management.

The picket line today was brilliant, absolutely fantastic. I'll be back tomorrow and Friday."

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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.