Sheila Caffrey, NEU national executive member (personal capacity)
You’d be forgiven for not knowing who the current shadow education minister is, but Labour’s Bridget Phillipson certainly is unlikely to forget the reaction to her policies. At the annual conference of the National Education Union (NEU) on 12 April, she trotted out a variety of platitudes, before announcing that schools inspectorate Ofsted just needed some tweaks.
Ofsted: the accountability attack-dog regime, used to bully staff to do more work for less pay; to force local authority schools into academies and to drive education workers out of schools due to stress and pressure.
Some light heckling was given, which began to echo around the conference centre. This could have been a time for the NEU leaders to show some backbone and stand up to these policies. Instead, it was suggested that if people didn’t like what Phillipson was saying, they should leave. Now, most teachers know not to deliver a threat like that to a class, as you know what might happen… and it did! Over 100 education workers across the hall stood up and walked out, before creating an impromptu lobby outside chanting and suggesting an alternative to Labour policy.
Compare this speech to the last in-person NEU conference when there was a standing ovation for Jeremy Corbyn’s policies to scrap Ofsted, changing the exam factory mentality, as well as creating an education service that would change education workers’ pay and burnout.
So, was Phillipson’s speech a deliberate provocation? Was it stupidity? Or was it just disdain for workers? It wasn’t clear. However, what’s now stark is that Keir Starmer’s Labour has burnt bridges with NEU members and lost votes in the next election from education workers.
It also shows that workers can’t wait for Labour to solve their problems. The NEU, along with other unions, needs to stand up and fight for pay and conditions now.
Although the leaderships of some unions like to sow illusions in Labour being the answer, this Tory-lite speech made it clear which side they’re on. The rank-and-file in the unions need to put the pressure on the union leaders to call ballots and fight.
In the NEU, the Socialist Party has five national executive members, who have continued to press for action, and are building an alternative to the current leadership with clear demands to transform the education system to one that students and staff need.
