11th April 2005
2005 Annual Conference Report
Pensions – A Spectre Haunting the Government
Delegates at this year's NUT conference in Gateshead were in no doubt that the decision to put our industrial action on hold should be reversed if the government returns to its proposals to worsen teachers' pensions.
It was agreed that the likelihood was that the government would return to its proposals following the election and that already Alan Johnson, pensions minister, has talked about teachers not fully understanding the proposals.
Delegates voted to change the rule over industrial action, so that a simple majority of those eligible to vote is all that is required for either un-sustained or sustained strike action. As one delegate put it, "The spectre of industrial action is haunting the government".
Be prepared for a return to that action with UNISON and PCS as soon as the government returns to its provocative proposals.
Pensions are deferred payments. We must not allow ourselves to be robbed!
Testing and League Tables
"Shades of the prison house begin to close upon the growing boy"
Delegates reiterated our opposition to a prescriptive National Curriculum, SATs and league tables, and drew the link between them and poor pupil behaviour. One delegate spoke about a junk curriculum, with junk tests leading to junk teaching, in an analogy to Jamie Oliver. This analogy appeared a number of times this conference, with delegates, referring to junk food, talking about "putting rubbish in and getting rubbish out."
John Illingworth, a member of the National Executive and a headteacher in Nottingham, urged all teachers to ditch the national curriculum whenever they feel it is appropriate to do so. He quoted William Wordsworth to illustrate how the national curriculum stifles the enjoyment of school that children have in the early years. We must serve the needs of children not data obsessed politicians.
There was a call to reissue a document showing the kind of curriculum the NUT would favour, particularly for younger teachers whose only experience of teaching is of the national curriculum and SATs.
Conference also opposed the government's proposal to replace with "educare" the entitlement of three and four year olds to 12 and half hours per week of nursery education, believing this would negate the proven long term benefits of early years education.
The NUT executive was instructed to continue its campaign for the abolition of SATs and league tables.
Conditions of Service – A Line Over Which We Will Not Cross
Delegates at Easter Conference repeated the union's position that only qualified teachers should take whole classes. As executive member, Ian Murch, stated, "There is a line over which we will not cross and that line is that every child has the right to be taught by a qualified teacher."
The NUT rejected the social partnership approach favoured by the government and some teacher's unions, and reaffirmed its belief in free collective bargaining and demanded the return of negotiating rights. Social partnership has failed to deliver for teachers on both workload and pay because it is founded on the flawed concept that employers and employees are equal partners with a common identity of purpose. As Bill Anderson from Birmingham asked, "If it's a partnership, why are we doing all the rowing?"
It was agreed that members of UNISON are our natural allies and we must not allow support workers to be exploited. Instead we must work with other unions to fight for properly funded PPA time for Primary teachers and to oppose social partnership, job cuts and modernisation.
It was also agreed that, where schools insist on using HLTAs to take on teaching duties, the National Union will make it clear that it will support a ballot for strike action where requested by the school or division.
He wants some of your pension and some of your pay. He'll replace qualified teachers, if we let him, and privatise the school roof over your head. We must be ready to fight back.
Salaries – A Damaging Collaboration
In March's City Teacher we reported on the Rewards Incentive Group's (the government don't seem to see the irony of the acronym) proposals for changes to management allowances. Remodelling and RIG were described as unequal agreements between bullies on one hand and supplicants on the other.
One delegate made the analogy between this group and Ethelred the Unready who paid Viking raiders to go away. Of course they intensified their raids. The NUT called on NAS/UWT and ATL members to get out of the "Ethelred tent" and end this damaging collaboration.
We shouldn't be too optimistic – Ruth Kelly's questions to the STRB included:
• "Should there be any pay rise in 2006-8?"
• "Should there be more regional pay?"
• "Should there be changes to pay and conditions with regard to extended schools and longer hours?"
The executive were instructed to submit our claim, which would seek to break the link between pay and performance, to the government, STRB and employers early in the Autumn term and to prepare a campaign of publicity and action in support of the claim itself and the opening of negotiations on it.
Maternity Is Not Sickness
Conference condemned NEOST proposals to reduce sickness benefits and called for strike action in any LEA that seeks to reduce sick pay benefits.
Delegates gave horrific anecdotes of examples of bullied, demoralised teachers being sacked or forced back to work while still ill. Delegates agreed that it was often the more mature, skilled teachers who were sick of all the new government initiatives and who were often union activists who suffered from stress related illness.
In some LEAs attempts had been made to trade off sickness benefit with maternity rights. Maternity leave is not sickness and we should oppose any attempts to pay for one with cuts in the other.
Privatisation and Academies
A Pirates' Charter
It was agreed that we need a coordinated national campaign to defeat the ravages of increasing profiteering by private companies at the expense of our children's education. Religious extremists like Vardy, pork pie manufacturers and other businesses should not be dictating what happens in our schools.
City academies were describes as Trojan horses aimed at the heart of the citadel of comprehensive education. The NUT opposes academies for the following reasons:
• Academies benefit the few at the expense of the many
• Academies are a form of privatisation of public schooling
• Academies are unaccountable to the public
• Academies are a threat to trade unionism
• Academies say the solutions lie with business not teachers
In Leicester we must continue to work to defeat the BSF proposals and the blackmail of accepting a city academy. When Roy Hattersley describes it as a pirates charter we should be left in no doubt as to the motivations of those behind PFI.
Smiling For The Things I've Done
Conference was moved by the courage and determination of Jocelyn Hurndall when she spoke to delegates.
Jocelyn is the mother of Tom Hurndall. Tom was 21 when he was killed by a bullet from an Israeli soldier whilst rescuing Palestinian children in Rafa.
She has fought for justice for her son and described his death as just one of many unlawful killings with no accountability. The soldier who shot Tom has eventually been charged with manslaughter, despite it being proven to be a deliberately fatal shot. She has spoken to many Israelis who question the actions of the Israeli army and who apologised for the behaviour of their country.
She finished by thanking general secretary Steve Sinott and executive member Bernard Reagan for the work that they have done in setting up a scholarship to train a teacher from Rafa and quoted Tom's own words, "When I die I want to be smiling for what I have done, not crying for the things I haven't".
Holocaust Survivor
Conference was also moved by Paul Oppenheimer, who was born in 1928 in Berlin and with his younger brother and sister survived the holocaust. He is available for talks in schools.
Education and Skills White Paper – An attack on Comprehensive Education
Conference discussed the government's rejection of the findings of the Tomlinson report and its recent white paper. It was agreed that the white paper is a move towards differentiated schools, differentiated curriculum, differentiated teachers and differentiated pay scales. The executive has been instructed to:
• Update the NUT's policy document "Road to Equality"
• Highlight the importance of 14-19 reform
• Create a partnership with those who support the principles of the Tomlinson report
• Seek support for these proposals from the TUC and its affiliates
• Convene a conference promoting the NUT's policies on 14-19 reform as soon as possible after the general election
Other Business
Conference welcomed the principles contained in the green paper "Every Child Matters" but called for the government to follow their good words with resources so that inclusion is not done on the cheap.
Motions were also passed on racism, including the underachievement of black boys, Palestine and Iraq.
Conference has agreed to set up a young teachers' section and will be organising a weekend conference for young teachers in the Autumn term. If there are young teachers in Leicester who would be interested in organising a local young teachers' section, please contact the local office.
MAKE POVERTY HISTORY
At conference Richard Curtis's moving film, which we hope to show at the next Association meeting, launched the NUT's support for the Send My Friend to School campaign.
Wear a white band.
All schools will have received a leaflet inviting them to take part in this amazing global campaign which is a coalition of 200 charities, trades unions, faith groups and celebrities. It is simple, it is inspiring, and all schools, children and teachers should get involved. Encourage your children to make and send a "buddy" to world leaders at the G8 summit in Edinburgh on 2nd July. We want them to receive a million buddies sent by children, to remind them of their promise to educate ALL children.
Details can be found at: www.makepovertyhistory.org and www.sendmyfriend.org.
Your 2005 conference delegates: Ian Leaver, Norman Machin, Nic Gavin, Steve Boyce, Jane Rolfe, Balbinder Chelley and Peter Flack
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