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Defending Teachers, Defending Education

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Programme for teachers

Working for trade union unity against "teaching-on-the-cheap".

On Thursday, June 17^th, a meeting initiated by Camden NUT and UNISON branches brought together NUT and UNISON branch representatives from across different London boroughs to discuss the effect of the Government’s "school workforce remodelling" proposals. Martin Powell-Davies attended as Secretary of Lewisham NUT.

The meeting demonstrated that there was a real basis for joint union action against Labour’s plans to bully support staff into taking on teachers’ duties – but without teachers’ pay. Reports from the different boroughs attending showed how LEAs and schools were trying to implement the Workforce Agreement without the additional funding that was needed to really improve support staff pay and conditions, nor to really reduce teacher workload. Instead, the use of support staff for "teaching-on-the-cheap" was beginning, little by little, to creep into schools.

UNISON members explained how teacher assistants were being asked to take on additional duties in schools without any proper negotiation of new job descriptions and rates of pay. At UNISON’s National Conference on Monday, UNISON branches opposed to the Workforce Agreement were hoping to win motions calling for suspending UNISON’s involvement in implementing the deal and/or renegotiating the Agreement.

This meeting laid the foundation for further joint work between UNISON and NUT branches across London. At Martin’s suggestion, the meeting agreed to produce a joint newsletter to be circulated to teaching and non-teaching staff to forge unity between teaching and non-teaching staff on these vital issues.