NUT REPS BRIEFINGS
AUTUMN TERM 2013
CONTENTS
1. Autumn term activities
2. What is the action for?
3. Can we win?
4. What should reps do?
AUTUMN TERM ACTIVITIES: 1
Rallies for Education
 LONDON - 14th September
 NOTTINGHAM - 14th September
 CAMBRIDGE – 21st September
 EXETER – 21st September
Carrying on a series of rallies,
reaching out to parents, heads,
governors and the general public
AUTUMN TERM ACTIVIES: 2
Rolling strike action
 1st October 2013
 17th October 2013
Continuing the successful
action begun last term in the
North West
1st October is during
Conservative Conference – so
there will be lots of coverage
29th September will also see
TUC demo on the NHS and
austerity
AUTUMN TERM ACTIVITIES: 3
Continuation of action short of strike and
school level escalation to paid strike
action
Action instructions are on website
In particular we want to focus on school
pay policies and school appraisal policies
AUTUMN TERM ACTIVITIES: 4
If Gove doesn’t show he is serious about
settling the dispute:
National, one day, all out strike after half
term
All NUT and NASUWT members in schools
and 6th Form Colleges in England will be
called on to take action
WHAT IS THE ACTION FOR?: 1
The dispute is with Gove
It covers
– PENSIONS (especially working to 68 to get full pension,
no valuation)
– DEREGULATION OF PAY (end of national scales, loss of
portability)
– PERFORMANCE RELATED PAY (different in every school,
huge power for heads)
and now includes
– DEREGULATION OF SCHOOL DAY, WORKING HOURS
ETC…..
We want to force negotiations and concessions, we want
to influence all parties whilst they are vulnerable because
of elections
WHAT IS THE ACTION FOR?: 2
STRB reports in Jan/Feb over terms and conditions
If they give Gove what he wants, as they did over pay then:
• School level determination of number of members’
working days, length of holidays, schools days and even
Saturdays
• Removal of cover protection
• Removal of lunch duty protection
• Weakening of PPA protection
Don’t believe it will happen? Sir Michael Wilshaw says
“teachers at my old school, Mossbourne, liked coming in on
Saturday morning”
CAN WE WIN?
 We did win concessions through pensions
strikes
– Protection for those 50 +
– Increase of 8% in Government’s offer
This 8% increase worth more in every year of
retirement that most strike pay
 We are winning in many schools on pay
policies etc...
 Parental opinion is anti-Gove and parties are
vulnerable in the run up to the election
 NUT and NASUWT together are a vast
majority of teachers
WHAT SHOULD REPS DO?
1. The most important thing–
Talk with colleagues in
schools. Work out best way
to do this with your
NASUWT colleague
2. Encourage members to
attend rallies, arrange to
meet up to get there
3. On days when others are on
strike encourage sticker
wearing, take photos to
upload, encourage letter
writing
WHAT SHOULD REPS DO?
4) In the run up to the strike:
a) Encourage members to take action, get a
small team working on this
b) Tell the head that all NUT and NASUWT
members are called on to take action
c) As soon as you are clear what your school is
doing let your NUT division secretary know
WHAT SHOULD REPS DO?
5) If your school pay policy or appraisal policy
don’t meet our check list:
• Discuss with members of NUT and NASUWT
• Tell the head teacher members aren’t
happy
• Approach the Div Sec to talk to the head
• Escalate to paid strike action
Or – if there are other elements of our ASOS
instructions that the school isn’t meeting
WHAT SHOULD REPS DO?
6) Last but not least:
Encourage new teachers and non members to
join to NUT
Note: Schools direct, Teach first can join free
whilst on their training courses
This is more important than ever because of lack
of union contact at PGCE courses for Schools
Direct etc