Elect Martin Powell-Davies: 

Defending Teachers, Defending Education

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Unity in action needed to defeat "teaching on the cheap"

Teachers’ jobs under threat

The notorious "Blue Skies" paper exposed exactly what this Government has in mind for the future of education. Its vision of "reducing overall teacher numbers" sums up their aim to drive down the cost of education at the expense of both school students and school staff.

Supply teachers are the first group under attack. Already a minority of schools are using "cover supervisors" to take the place of qualified supply staff. But the Union must warn all teachers that if schools feel they can get by without qualified staff for short-term absences, it won’t be long before cheaper, less qualified staff are used to fill long-term vacancies as well.

A strategy to defend education

The NUT has rightly refused to sign the "Workforce Agreement" which opens the door to "teaching-on-the-cheap". But, up to now, Ministers feel under no pressure to change course. We need to match our words with a strategy that can force them to reconsider.

The NUT needs to step up its campaign to warn parents and the public why the Government’s plans are a threat to comprehensive education.

As well as parents, school support staff can be a key ally in our campaign. Few want to be bullied into taking on teachers’ work. Like us, they just want to be properly paid for the valuable work they already do. By electing Martin Powell-Davies as NUT General Secretary, NUT members will have a leader determined to bring about unity in action against these threats.

No retreat on "cover supervisors"

At each significant battle over the last few years, the NUT leadership has marched teachers up the hill, only to retreat and leave teachers facing the consequences. That must not be allowed to happen over our opposition to "teaching on the cheap".

In February, a Union circular on "cover" was issued – endorsed by John Bangs and Steve Sinnott – that weakened our opposition to the use of cover supervisors. The Executive unanimously withdrew it.

Of course no teacher likes to do cover. But if we retreat on this issue, Ministers will be emboldened to push further ahead. Martin Powell-Davies argues that isolated action limited to the refusal to set work for classes taught by unqualified staff has proven an ineffective strategy. The recent LEA-wide UNISON/NUT strike action in Croydon shows the way forward.

Persuade all unions to withdraw from the "Workforce Agreement"

"I would support strike action to oppose unqualified staff taking teaching posts and campaign for all TUC Unions – teaching and non-teaching – to withdraw from the agreement" 

Martin Powell-Davies

As NUT General Secretary, Martin Powell-Davies would appeal to the members of unions like UNISON and GMB - as well as colleagues in the ATL and NASUWT - at both a local and national level, to join our campaign to oppose the "Workforce Agreement", and win a new deal that gives decent pay and conditions to all school staff.