The Socialist 26 June 2013

Police dirty tricks - a threat to democratic rights

Police dirty tricks - a threat to democratic rights

Teachers strike to defend education

Cuts until 2020? We need councils that fight for us!

Jack Straw forced to retract lies about Militant

People's Assembly: Thousands opposing cuts... but leaders sidestep strategy for victory

Farage's tax scandal hypocrisy

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Brazil: A victory for the mass struggle

Conference anger with Unison leadership, and Labour

Action needed to stop Royal Mail sell-off

RMT: Fighting casualisation

PCS: members discuss next anti-cuts action

2012 London bus strike victory showed potential for militant union fightback

Having a fine time? Not if you're a courier driver

Workplace news in brief

Labour council introduces zero-hour contracts

How mental health carers and service users took on Salford council

Bristol council opposes 'bedroom tax' evictions

Lessons for today from an anti-poll tax bailiff buster

Deadly long distance weapons of war

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Teachers strike to defend education

NUT and UCU strike action in London on 28 March 2012 , photo Senan (Click to enlarge)

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!"