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Elect Martin Powell-Davies:Defending Teachers, Defending Education |
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5 May 2004 For a teachers' leader on a teacher’s salarySocialist Party member Martin Powell-Davies is standing for General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT).Wherever he has had the chance to speak to classroom teachers his ideas have been welcomed. As the only candidate who is still teaching, Martin understands the pressures teachers are under.He has pledged that it elected he will stay on the wage or a classroom teacher, not on the existing general secretary's salary of £90,000.IT WAS fortuitous that I went to a local primary school two weeks before the hustings for NUT general secretary. The staff had endured a long period with a bullying head and had built solidarity with each other as the only way to defend themselves. The issue which brought it all to a head was the same as in most primary schools, planning and workload. John Blackall, secretary Knowsley National Union of Teachers (NUT)I made dear the union's position and the support available locally and told them that if it helped they could treat what I said as an instruction. But all they wanted off me was the assurance that the union would back them up. Watching what was going on in education and seeing how ineffective the union was did not give them confidence. But they were confident that they could deal with it themselves and simply wanted to know if they could rely on the union if things went wrong. We talked about the importance of a fighting leadership and the national elections. I told them of Martin Powell-Davies' perspective for the union and of the need to get a leadership we could have confidence in. So they all turned up at the hustings, where the branch decided who to nominate for the general secretary election. They not only made the meeting quorate, but also ensured a unanimous vote for Martin. They saw him as understanding, determined and different. They liked what he said and had no doubts about which way to vote. Two weeks later they called me again. The action taken so far had been escalated and the school governors had called the Local Education Authority (LEA) in. However, the LEA wanted to interview the staff individually. The staff saw this as intimidation. Following our intervention the LEA adopted a more agreeable process. Meanwhile the Head had been briefing the support staff about what to say when interviewed. But unfortunately for him, many of them had been affected by the feeling of solidarity and had taken the teachers side. The situation is not yet resolved but solidarity ill ensure success. The teachers know this and although they felt the union was generally useless, the needed its support. It was a short step to the realisation that the national elections were crucial to the political; future of the union and they needed to play a part. In this little primary school Martin was speaking to the converted. There are thousands of others experiencing the same pressure through exams, OFSTED, SATs, league tables, planning and low pay who are also listening and looking for someone to vote for who will give them their support. Martin stands for:
Voting starts this month, for leaflets, posters and more information about the campaign see: www.electmartin.org.uk or ring 07946 445488. |
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