Martin Powell-Davies - member of the NUT National Executive

Pensions Campaign Update - Report from the NUT Executive

2012-01-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

The NUT Executive met again on January 26 and agreed the following recommendations for the ongoing pensions campaign:

1. Christine Blower and Kevin Courtney will continue to work to convene the joint meeting of unions that have not signed up to heads of agreement.
We are not alone! Far from it. Christine and Kevin gave an encouraging report from a meeting convened by the NUT that had brought together a sizeable number of different union leaders to discuss a joint campaign.
The meeting shows that, after the setback of some other unions signing the totally inadequate ‘Heads of Agreement’ deal, a significant group of unions is still standing firm. Unions will meet again next week to look at joint plans in more detail.

2. Christine and Kevin will press the case at the meeting with the other unions for a joint further day of action in March, before the contributions increase, as part of an on-going campaign involving further action, and other activities.
Motions from schools and Associations, including many from London, had been sent in to the Union in support of further action - action that must be taken if we are going to persuade this Government to back-off from making teachers work to 68 and pay 50% more in pensions contributions. The Executive agrees - but, while understanding the urgency in providing a clear plan of action - also recognises that we have to try and reach agreement with other unions before any firm date is ‘named’ as the next suggested strike day.
March 1 had been proposed by the UCU, but I understand that other unions felt that a slightly later date was needed. The NUT will be firmly calling on unions to agree on a definite strike day in March - but not as a one-off action. We also want to discuss the further joint action that will need to follow.

3. A special National Executive will be called for February 9th to consider the results of that joint union meeting.
The Executive will be recalled to make sure that there is no unnecessary delay in preparing for further action.
Hopefully, the joint discussions will have arrived at firm conclusions to put to other Union Executives,as well as ours, so we can follow a common strategy.

4. Any outcome from Feb 9th Executive to go forward with action should be accompanied by home mailings, emails, reps news etc. arguing the case for the action including materials relating to the Government/Ofsted assault on teachers since January and the attacks in the Autumn statement.
Some members have already indicated their support for further action but we want to make sure that every NUT member understands why we cannot accept the ‘Heads of Agreement’ and why we need their support for the proposed plan of action
If we retreat on pensions, then we will give the Government confidence to press ahead with all their other attacks - a continued pay freeze, endless observations, longer hours … plus the threat of fast-track sackings if they decide you don’t meet their imposed standards.
It won’t just be ‘pay more, retire older and get less’, it will be ‘pay more and get a LOT less’, when teachers are forced by the stress and relentless pressure to retire long before they reach their full pensions age.
Alongside the campaign against ‘pensions robbery’, Executive members also discussed how best to fight Gove’s ‘bullies charter’ and its threat to unfairly force teachers through accelerated capability procedures. We hope we can get unions to agree an alternative policy that we can then propose to Local Authorities and Governors - backed up with action if necessary.

5. All affected members will be consulted on and urged to support any proposed action, once it is clear which other unions intend to be involved.
The Executive knows that many of the most active union members understand the issues, know what’s at stake, and are ready for further strike action. However, particularly now some unions have stepped back from the struggle, at least for now, the Executive believes we need to make absolutely sure that the next NUT action has widespread backing across the whole Union. That’s why we agreed to carry out some kind of consultative survey of members to indicate their endorsement of the union’s proposed action.
The exact details of the survey were left for further discussion, but it certainly doesn’t need to be another full ballot sent to home addresses. Our legal ballot for discontinuous action remains in force. This would be solely an internal Union survey to gauge - and to build - support for our plan of strike action.
As I said when I spoke in the debate, of course this kind of survey is not without risk. However, proceeding without this consultation presents an even greater risk - that we might not have correctly prepared the support for action across the whole Union.
So everyone who supports action - from the Executive right down to members in schools - would need to use this survey to get the message out to their colleagues, to union meetings, and to neighbouring schools, that we all need to continue, and extend, the fight to stop this pensions robbery.

6. The Divisional Secretaries meeting on Feb 2nd will be consulted as to readiness for action and encouraged to continue building the campaign, including through school meetings, street stalls and lobbies of MPs. A draft plan of action will be devised for consultation with the meeting. This would include one day of national action in March and a plan of what a possible strategy of further action could look like.
NUT Local Division Secretaries - who are the key officers and local organisers in the union - are being called together for a special meeting next week.
They can then have their say about what our campaign strategy and timetable should be, what the mood for action is in their area, and discuss how we go out to build action. If you have an opinion, make sure to tell your NUT Secretary before they come to next week’s meeting!

7. The union seeks to make common publicity with other teacher unions in particular around age of retirement and increased contributions and by placing a petition on the Government web-site.
As well as using the key weapon of strike action, we need to get our message out to the public about the damage these proposals will cause to both teachers and education - and right across our public services.
Some unions are keen on using a petition as a way to gather publicity - and we are obviously happy to do so.

8. The NUT will press the case for TUC support for action by unions that have not ‘signed up’ at the Public Sector Liaison Group on Feb 6th – and keep working to get other unions back to the campaign.
UNISON, GMB and ATL may have signed-up for now - but we hope our campaign - and the real facts about the ‘Agreement’ - will persuade their members to call for their unions to rejoin the fight for a better deal.
At a recent regional TUC meeting, UNISON officials said they would still be giving support to unions like the NUT who were continuing with action. We are calling for that to be the clear official position of the national TUC.

'Coalition of the willing' gathering strength

2012-01-22T12:09:00.000-08:00

In the immediate aftermath of the TUC-led retreat over pensions, the ‘coalition of the willing’, those unions still determined to fight on, have needed time to regroup. But now that coalition is gathering strength.

Over Christmas, the danger of isolation and concerns that members might no longer be prepared to take action understandably weighed heavily on union leaders. The PCS Left Unity Conference on January 7 helped to swiftly galvanise union activists and a call was made for union leaders to meet together to agree a coordinated action plan. The NUT is now convening exactly such a meeting with a number of other unions already pledged to attend.

The decision by UNITE to reject the Heads of Agreement has helped bolster confidence, as has the action taken by private-sector Unilever workers in defence of their pension schemes. It now seems likely that the FBU may also need to ballot for strike action with the Government apparently insistent on an unworkable scheme where firefighters work until they are 60 and pay at least 13.2% of their salary in pension contributions (see link below) !

Above all, it is the growing confirmation of support for action in the workplace that is helping to reassure union leaderships that they can securely call further strikes. NUT members have been meeting to agree motions pledging support for action as well as responding to a national email survey. Just like the BMA’s separate survey of doctors, it seems likely that the results will confirm clear opposition to the deal.

Of course, nothing can be taken for granted. In the build-up to further strikes, unions need to campaign hard in every workplace and community to build the strongest support for action.

No worker can lightly lose pay but most will be willing to do so if unions show they are serious about continuing the campaign. After all, if we don't carry on the fight, we're guaranteed to be losing pay every single month in higher pension contributions.

Unions now need to agree a clear plan of co-ordinated action. At least a further day of national strike needs to be called before April, when the first-phase of increased pension contributions is to be imposed. Unions also need to make clear to that this isn’t just a ‘last hurrah’ but part of an ongoing campaign to force the Government to retreat further.

The UCU Executive, at its meeting on January 20, became the latest union to formally reject the Heads of Agreement. It also proposed that a programme of coordinated rolling strike action should begin in February, with Thursday March 1 proposed as a day for national strike action.

This is a useful starting-point for discussion between unions although the exact details may need to change - particularly as Welsh teachers have pointed out that clashing with long-prepared events for St. David's Day would not be popular.

There is certainly a pressing need for the joint-union discussions to arrive at a firm date for the next co-ordinated action. NUT Divisional Secretaries from branches across England and Wales are being called to an emergency national meeting on Feb 2 to discuss the campaign. Hopefully, when the PCS Executive meets again on Feb 9 and the UCU Executive on Feb 10, we will all be in a position to announce a common plan of action.

While it will be important to negotiate over the dates so as to bring the strongest possible alliance together, it would be a mistake to postpone a decision in order to try and bring unions like UNISON and GMB on board. A strong campaign is being waged inside Health and Local Government unions in opposition to the 'Heads of Agreement' but, even if it eventually succeeds, it will be several months before these unions could be brought back into action.

Joint-union staff meetings and local Trades Councils should organise debates so that the real facts about the Heads of Agreement can be explained - so that everyone understands that it means 'pay more, get less and retire older'.

However, a significant joint-union strike in March, even if on a smaller scale than November, will be the best way to support those arguing to reverse the position of unions who have signed-up to the shabby 'deal'.

Above all, that united action will send a clear signal to the Government that they still face strong and determined opposition to their pensions robbery.

For more information, follow these links:

Updated NUT Pensions Loss Calculator: http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/12872

PCS news: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/pcs_comment/index.cfm/id/B49106E3-3C6E-4D2B-AEA886440E8B5F21

FBU news: http://www.fbu.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-FBU-Pension-Bulletin-No-4-LOW-RES.pdf

UCU analysis of the 'Heads of Agreement' for teachers and lecturers: http://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/l/c/ucu_fareporttps_10jan12.pdf

UNITE win change from CPI back to RPI at Jaguar Land Rover: http://www.professionalpensions.com/professional-pensions/news/2137864/jaguar-land-rover-restores-rpi-link#ixzz1jwG873QJ

BMA doctors reject pensions robbery: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16618194

Teachers report to Executive; No Deal, Let's Take Action

2012-01-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

As well as the ongoing survey of NUT members, reports are coming in from schools and Local Associations where NUT members are meeting to discuss the pensions campaign. Most are showing strong support for further action.

I attended a very well attended meeting of the NUT group (with 39 present) at the City and Islington Sixth Form College this lunchtime. The meeeting unanimously passsed the resolution below. In particular, the reps want to propose to the Executive that, as well as calling further action, we should call a London wide rally to build for that action. It's certainly a suggestion that I will bring to the Executive next week - an idea which could be repeated in every Region.

“This union meeting congratulates the NUT executive for the pensions campaign and the huge success of the strikes on 20th June and 30th November.

We note that the Heads of Agreement “offer” made by the government to teaching unions on December 19th still means that we would have to pay more, work longer and get a smaller pension. We note that the government is still intent on:
· increasing our pension contributions by 50%;
· raising the retirement age for teachers to 68;
· introducing a pension based on a career average rather than final salary;
· using CPI, rather than RPI, as the index for annual increases in our pensions.

These are the measures against which we took strike action on June 30th and November 30th and for these reasons we believe the NUT was right not to sign up to the Heads of Agreement.

We note that the NASUWT and UCU have also refused to sign up to the Heads of Agreement.

We note that whatever concessions the government has made have only come as a result of our campaign and strike action, but go nowhere near enough to meet our concerns.

However the government has now unilaterally announced that it will be increasing contributions which means that members will experience a pay cut in April.

We call upon the NUT National Executive to draw up plans for further strike action and to discuss these with other unions who have also refused to sign the Heads of Agreement. We therefore agree to indicate our support for:

i) the decision of the NUT to reject the Heads of Agreement document;
ii) A campaign of meetings in associations and regions to explain to reps and members the results of the negotiations and the NUT’s plans for further action.
iii) the NEC on 26th January to name the day for a further strike day this term and draw up plans to escalate action to achieve our pension objectives.

ATL statement misleads teachers about their pensions 'agreement'

2012-01-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

In June, and again in November, the ATL stepped forward and took action on pensions – raising their standing across the trade union movement. So it’s a real disappointment to see them now put out a statement justifying their acceptance of the Government’s ‘Heads of Agreement’ which, in my opinion, deliberately misleads its members about what the ‘deal’ really means for teachers.

The ATL presentation http://www.atl.org.uk/pensions/pensions-consultation/new-tps-statement.asp fails to explain that the ‘Heads of Agreement’ made absolutely clear that the overall 'cost-ceiling' was not going to increase - so that there was no more money on offer. Therefore, in order to get the better accrual rate of 1/57, proclaimed as a victory by the ATL, something else had to be cut - and that's exactly what happened.

Career-averages have to be linked to some kind of indexation to bring past salaries in line with today’s prices - and that's where the ATL signed-up to a worsening of the scheme.

In November, the Government were proposing the link was with average earnings. Now they have cut that to CPI + 1.6%. In other words, the slightly improved accrual rate of 1/57 (i.e a bigger amount set aside each year to improve pension payouts) was paid for by a worse indexation rate (reducing the indexation of past earnings so cutting pension payouts).

The ATL statement deceptively states that the benefits of the ‘deal’ include “An accrual rate of 1/57ths, rather than the current 1/80ths for who joined the TPS before 2007 and 1/60ths for those who joined after 2007”. But their pensions experts must know that you can't simply compare accrual rates in a final-salary scheme to a career-average CARE scheme.

Because of the way that career-average schemes work, CARE schemes will mean a much smaller pension unless the new ‘accrual rate’ is considerably better than the 1/60 rate that applies in the existing final-salary scheme for new entrants (for example, the Nuvos career-average scheme negotiated in 2006 for the civil service has a much better rate of 1/43).

The 1/57 accrual rate on a career-average scheme with this rate of indexation means nearly all teachers will get LESS PENSION. We will also all PAY MORE and, for most teachers, RETIRE OLDER too. So how can the ATL present this as acceptable?

Regrettably, their case studies showing the ‘benefits’ of the scheme they have signed-up to illustrate the pensions that a teacher would get at 65. This is mimicking the distortions that the Government came out with in November. As we explained then, of course working on past 60 improves the payout of even a poorer pensions scheme – because you’ve had to put five more years of contributions into it!

Most teachers will be forced to retire long before they reach their State Pension Age – particularly if Gove gets away with piling even greater pressures on teachers through his latest threats of fast-track sackings and longer working days. That will be at the cost of a hefty cut to their pension through an actuarial reduction. No doubt the Treasury has already worked out how much more it will save as a result.

The NUT Pensions calculator http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/12872 shows the real losses under the ‘Heads of Agreement’ Scheme. For me, it’s a £33 pay cut in April, just when our Child Benefit is going too, rising to a £108 monthly pay cut in April 2014. Even with some transitional protection, I’d lose £400 a year in pension if I retire at 60 and £87,000 in total from my pension over my retirement. For young teachers, it will be a lot, lot worse.

The NUT is honestly presenting the facts to its members. Yes, we know that our action won some concessions - with the Government conceding in early November that the oldest teachers would still be able to retire at their existing pension age. But, this is nowhere near enough.

The ATL agreed it was an inadequate concession when they took action with us on November 30. In fact, as Osborne then announced that he was accelerating the raising of the State Pension Age to 67 and 68, things have got worse, not better.

So the ATL should stop trying to spin the figures and admit that they have signed-up to a deal that means teachers will PAY MORE, GET LESS, and RETIRE OLDER.

Can I afford to strike ? Can I afford not to ?

2012-01-19T03:04:00.000-08:00

You’ll struggle to find a teacher that agrees with the Government’s blatant pensions robbery. Who wants to pay in more to get less out - and be forced to struggle on to 68 to get our full pension (if we don’t resign or get sacked first)?

There’s only one real question that is asked - can we afford to lose more pay by continuing action? Of course your Union understands that few of us can easily afford to lose pay, but if we let these plans go through, teachers will be guaranteed to lose pay every single month in extra pensions contributions.

For example, if we don’t stop this robbery, a Lewisham UPS1 teacher will lose £34 every month from their salary from April - rising to a £103 pay cut every month from 2014

As anyone who knows trade union history will understand, the pressure on strikers’ incomes is always the main weapon that employers have in any prolonged dispute. But that’s why we’ll need to plan our outgoings to allow for deductions and collect to support those under the greatest financial pressures.

We have a clear choice - ceasing our action which guarantees a salary cut, increased pension ages and giving the Government confidence to press ahead with all their other bullying attacks – or carrying on with action - which could still mean over 1 million on strike.

We can’t guarantee victory, but if we don’t fight on, we know the price we will pay.

Lewisham NUT votes for further strike action

2012-01-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

30 members at tonight's Lewisham NUT General meeting voted unanimously to support the Union's opposition to the Heads of Agreement and for further strike action on pensions.

I used case studies from the newly revised NUT pensions calculator - now updated to show the affect of the Heads of Agreement (http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/12872) to explain that the 'deal' was no better than what we had all taken united action against in November. It still meant pay more, get less and, for all but the oldest teachers, retire older.

After a full and considered discussion, the meeting voted for the motion (posted in the previous blog post) calling on the National Executive to draw up plans for further strike action. Reps also agreed to take that motion back to their schools and to try and get it discussed - and hopefully agreed - in as many schools as possible.

Reps also agreed to urge members to complete the latest NUT survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BJ9T3R7 asking members' views on the Union's opposition to the Government's shoddy 'deal'.

There was anger expressed at UNISON in particular, and regret that the ATL and NAHT had signed as well. However, there was a determination that we had to fight on and that we could still build significant action by bringing the remaining unions together.

There was a good discussion about what and when that action should be, with the strengths and weaknesses of a work-to-rule, half-day and and rolling action being discussed. However, the general conclusion drawn by most there was that we needed a 'calendar of action' of when we would be likely to take national action in February and March.

Reps were aware of the financial pressures on staff but felt that we had to show we had a serious program of action if members were to see that the sacrifice was worth taking - and that with a 'calendar' teachers could more easily prepare ahead for the salary losses they would face through strike action.

It was a determined meeting - and confirmed to me that the fight on pensions is far from over.

Motion for school NUT groups - We support action on pensions

2012-01-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

Alex Kenny and I - who have both been elected unopposed for the 2012-14 NUT Executive seats for Inner London - may have voted different ways on an amendment that I seconded at Thursday's NUT Executive, but I think we are both very clear that we wish to see further co-ordinated strike action to defend pensions - and that we need NUT members to show their support for such action.

Alex has already circulated a motion for school NUT groups to discuss - expressing support for action. This is also pasted below.

Please do meet in school groups and association meetings to pass this motion and send it to me, Alex and the National Union as soon as possible and certainly before the NUT National Executive next meets on January 26th.

Motion for school NUT groups to discuss

This union meeting notes that the Heads of Agreement “offer” made by the government to teaching unions on December 19th still means that we would have to pay more, work longer and get a smaller pensions.

We note that the government is still intent on:
i) increasing our pension contributions by 50%;
ii) raising the retirement age for teachers to 68;
iii) introducing a pension based on a career average rather than final salary;
iv) using CPI, rather than RPI, as the index for annual increases in our pensions.

These are the measures against which we took strike action on June 30th and November 30th and for these reasons we believe the NUT was right not to sign up to the Heads of Agreement.

We note that the NASUWT and UCU have also refused to sign up to the Heads of Agreement.

We note that whatever concessions the government has made have only come as a result of our campaign and strike action, but go nowhere near enough to meet our concerns.

We believe that the campaign to defend our pensions must continue and that this should involve further strike action.

We call upon the NUT National Executive to draw up plans for further strike action and to discuss these with other unions who have also refused to sign the Heads of Agreement.

We therefore agree to indicate our support for:

i) the decision of the NUT to reject the Heads of Agreement document;

ii) further strike action in defence of our pensions.

NO DEAL - Report from the NUT Executive

2012-01-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

NUT seeks urgent talks with other unions to press for further strikes

Dispute at critical stage: let the Executive know you support action

The NUT Executive met for an emergency meeting on January 12 to debate how we respond to the Government’s attempts to bully unions into accepting their ‘Heads of Agreement’ pensions proposals.

We met straight after a TUC meeting of all the main public sector unions where there were reportedly some sharp exchanges between unions still standing firm - like PCS and NUT – and those that had signed a deal that can only mean that their members pay more, retire older and get less.

The discussion needs to be sharp – because the decision of unions like Unison and GMB to sign up to the ‘Heads of Agreement’ doesn’t only threaten support staff and other members of the Local Government Pension Scheme – it threatens the pensions of every one of the two million workers that took such tremendous united action on November 30.

Their retreat means our pensions dispute is now at a critical stage – but the fight is far from finished. Those unions that were bullied into signing – like the ATL - still have to sell their mistaken decision to their members. In schools, the NUT and NASUWT haven’t signed up to the deal, nor have the UCAC, EIS and INTO unions in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. UNITE has strengthened its position since the New Year , rejecting the deal in Health and Local Government. Their private-sector Unliever members will also be taking strike action to defend their pensions in January. Firefighters in the FBU may also join us in action.

Once the facts are known, how can any union accept the ‘heads of agreement’ proposed by the Government? The NUT Executive confirmed unanimously that we cannot agree to a deal that means:

Normal pension age in the scheme will rise to 68 and even higher.
Teachers who leave before that age – driven out by excessive workload and the threatened ‘bullies charter’ - will face substantial reductions in their pension entitlements
Contributions will increase by 50%
The change to CPI will remove a further 15% of scheme value
The introduction of career averaging will lead to further cuts in pension value for a big majority of teachers.

Our action had already forced the Government to concede that at least some older teachers can still retire at 60 - although they’ll still be paying in more and getting less in retirement. But all teachers would be hit hard, especially the youngest. If we’re going to reject this unacceptable deal, then we have to carry on our campaign of action to force much more out of this Government.

The Executive agreed that we seek urgent talks with other unions that have not signed up to the heads of agreement to press the case for further action. Mark Serwotka had already told the TUC that morning that the PCS were planning to convene exactly such a joint meeting in the next few days.

The next two weeks will be critical in constructing a clear action plan. Following those joint talks, the NUT Executive will meet again on January 26 to decide if – and when - we are going to set definite dates for further strike action.

It’s not a straightforward decision - and it was clear in the debate that doubts, about how many unions will join us and about the resolve of NUT members in schools, were weighing heavily on some Executive members. That’s why in the surveys, school and Association meetings over the next fortnight, it’s vital that NUT members send in motions, letters and emails saying that you support the call for further strike action in defence of our pensions.

In seconding an amendment seeking to strengthen the main motion, I argued that we had to be confident that, once the facts about the deal were spelt out, teachers would understand why we had to reject the deal – and, if so, that we had to continue, and escalate, our action.

The amendment suggested that NUT took a clear proposal to the joint union action talks to consider a one-day strike before the end of February - and further co-ordinated action in March – before the imposed pension contributions start to further cut teachers’ pay in April.

I believe that amendment would have helped answer any doubts amongst our members about the Executive’s determination to defend pensions – and sent a firmer message to the Government, and to other unions, that the NUT was ready for a serious fight.

The amendment was lost by 26 votes to 13 but, significantly, was supported by Executive members who reported that they were responding to calls from members in their area for the NUT to quickly call further action, including two who wouldn't normally vote with the Executive 'Left'.

Most on the Executive did not want to support a definite timetable at this stage – but we all agreed that the debate will continue on January 26. It’s now vital that NUT members continue to pass on their support for action to give their Executive members the confidence to call the action that must now be taken if we are to defend pensions.

NUT Executive news in brief:
Gove’s ‘Bullies Charter’ - These plans are about bullying and intimidating teachers so that we are too frightened to stand up for ourselves - and for education. The NUT Executive confirmed our opposition to Gove’s plans and to seek to organise action to stop them.
Stop Forced Academies - the campaign to stop one of Gove’s other attacks - bullying schools into becoming Academies - is being fought hard in Haringey. Join the demonstration on Saturday 28 January, 12pm at Downhills Primary School, N15.
Sixth Form Colleges ballot - strike ballots to oppose funding cuts and worsening pay and conditions in the sector will be going out to all 6FC members. Votes must be returned by 30 January.

London Assembly Elections: A personal appeal to support trade union candidates
We’re fighting a vicious Government trying to drive through cuts. Yet, with a few honourable exceptions, most opposition politicians aren’t prepared to speak up for trade unionists. That’s why the RMT, FBU and others are planning to stand candidates in the ‘list’ for the Assembly. I have been invited to stand as a prominent NUT member.
To give support, visit: http://www.tusc.org.uk/pdfs/GLAappealpetition

United action to stop the bullies

2012-01-12T23:32:00.000-08:00

It's no surprise that, just when the Government feels they might be able to win a victory on pensions, they go on a further attack over their 'bullies charter'.

These plans have been in the offing for some months - see http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2011/10/action-neeeded-to-stop-bullies-charter.html

But these threats are nothing to do with improving education - no, further teacher stress, even greater workload and further demoralisation will only make things worse. These plans are about bullying and intimidating teachers so that we are too frightened to stand up for ourselves - and for education.

Their pensions attacks mean that many teachers will be having to work on until 68 or even older, trying to keep up with the unrelenting pressure in our underfunded and overmonitored schools. Now Gove's making clear that, if you can't take the pace, you'll be sacked long before you reach your pension age.

We have to fight these plans - but we also have to make sure that we show Gove that we're not yet beaten on pensions either. The NUT Executive yesterday agreed that we cannot accept the 'Heads of Agreement' and that we are urgently talking with other unions about plans for further strike action - full report to follow.

Now UNITE rejects Local Government proposals too!

2012-01-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.unitetheunion.org/news__events/latest_news/unite_rejects_local_government.aspx

The government’s latest proposals to cut local government pensions were rejected by Unite, Britain's biggest union, today (Monday, 9 January).

The Unite local authority national industrial sector committee (LANISC), which met today, rejected the ‘principles document’ as a basis for a satisfactory outcome. Last week (5 January) Unite's health sector national industrial sector committee (HSNISC) also rejected the government’s latest proposals on the NHS pension scheme.

Unite General Secretary, Len McCluskey said:

"Unite's local authority representatives have lost trust after Eric Pickles let the government's real agenda out of the bag.

"The security of our members in retirement is just too important to leave any space for doubt or mistrust, so the union's senior representatives in local government have rejected the government's proposals.

"Our senior representatives believe they have no choice but to reject the 'principles document' after Eric Pickles claimed the unions had made commitments which have not been fully discussed. There now needs to be genuine discussions without arbitary deadlines. Our members need clarity before we can move forward."

In a letter on 20 December, communities secretary, Eric Pickles claimed commitments including linking the local government retirement age to the state pension age, a career average pension scheme and introducing an employer cost ceiling of 10.9 per cent, had been agreed when, in fact, discussions on these important issues were still due to take place. The letter has caused a crisis of confidence and trust. Unite's local authority workers will now consider their next steps.

Lewisham Labour Council supporting Aske's Free School?

2012-01-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

A leaflet distributed around Telegraph Hill today confirms the news, as reported in this blog as news broke on Friday, that Haberdashers' Aske's is planning to open a new two-form entry primary Free School in September 2013.

The Federation is clearly pursuing its motto of 'serve and obey' to follow Government policy in favour of using privatised unaccountable Free Schools as a weapon to divide and dismantle Local Authority education. (See http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2011/09/free-schools-freedom-to-privatise.html for an explanation of what Free Schools really mean.)

Disgracefully, the leaflet claims that the plans have "the support of the Lewisham Local Authority". Is this true? Local councillors (update: but see comment from Paul Bell below), Mayor Bullock and Joan Ruddock MP have some urgent explaining to do - surely they aren't happy to see local education privatised?

Yes, there is a real shortage of primary places - unions have been warning councillors of that for years (but they still decided to close Lewisham Bridge School of course ...) - but turning to Free Schools as an answer is a dangerous acceptance of privatisation - and a slap in the face to staff and governors working so hard at other local schools.

What will this mean in reality? Aske's will get what they've always wanted - a primary school with a catchment area taking in the leafiest parts of Telegraph Hill. The sibling-preferential admissions will help ensure that they can keep their skewed intake at both primary and secondary-ages. But other local primary schools will suffer as a scramble for places and a widening divide emerges in local education. Education as a whole and, in particular, working-class families and students, will be the losers.

Lewisham NUT has consistently warned that allowing Haberdasher's Aske's to expand its Academy empire could undermine local comprehensive education. But now it is taking the next step of setting up Free Schools as well. If this plan succeeds, it could open the door to even more.

Lewisham NUT calls on everyone who wants to defend education and equalities in the borough to get in touch so we can work together to oppose this dangerous proposal.

Reject the deal - we CAN defeat this robbery

2012-01-07T01:39:00.000-08:00

Today, at the Conference hosted by PCS Left Unity in Euston, trade unionists determined to fight the pensions robbery are meeting to restate our determination to defeat these attacks and organise to win.

Packed full and determined to fight pensions robbery

How can we accept a 'deal' that still means we pay more, get less and retire older?

For most of us, it certainly means 'retire older'. I've been teaching for 25 years but, under the terms of the Government's proposed ‘deal’, like many colleagues, I would only be a little over halfway through my teaching career!

The deal - an accrual rate of 1/57 in a career-average scheme - would certainly mean 'get less'. Compare that accrual rate to the much-better 1/43 rate in the civil service Nuvos scheme – it means pensions robbery.

The Education 'Heads of Agreement' doesn't just mean we pay more - for me over £120 a month more by 2014 - but that the employers pay less. Their contributions would go down to 12.1%!

No wonder Danny Alexander bragged in Parliament that he’d got the deal he wanted and that it made services “substantially more affordable to private providers” - those private profiteers ready to take on even more of our public services to run for their profits, not people's interests.

So we have to reject the deal – and if we are rejecting it, then have to fight.

Today's conference will call on the TUC to call a further day of action - but, if they don't, then the cross-union committee also being proposed from today's meeting must meet and propose plans for co-ordinated action across those many unions that are prepared to fight.

We CAN defeat this Government’s pensions robbery - and we MUST.

Teaching Unions Refuse Pensions Deal

2012-01-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

As the BBC News reported tonight, both the NUT and NASUWT have confirmed that we are refusing to sign-up to the Pensions 'Heads of Agreement'.

Kevin Courtney, Deputy General Secretary of the NUT told the BBC that "We have a meeting of our executive committee next week, which will look at how to take the campaign forward, including a consideration of industrial action."

Report on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16442607

The Officers' Report going to next week's NUT Executive recommends:

“a) that the Union cannot agree to the “heads of agreement” document because there has been no movement on any of the key areas the union has identified:
- Normal pension age in the scheme will rise to 68 and even higher. (Teachers who leave before that age will face substantial reductions in their pension entitlements)
- Contributions will increase by 50%
- The change to CPI will remove a further 15% of scheme value
- The introduction of career averaging will lead to further cuts in pension value for a big majority of teachers.
- There has been no movement on the cost ceiling.
- It contains no reassurances that teachers in Independent schools will continue to have access to the pension scheme.

“b) that the Union seek a meeting with Michael Gove and other willing unions in particular to press on the contributions and the age of retirement in particular.

“c) that the Union appeal against the high court ruling on CPI/RPI

“d) that the Union immediately begin to enact the other points from the decisions of the December executive – polling members via email on their view of the Government offer – following materials from the Union indicating that the Union’s position is that it does not go anywhere near far enough.

“e) that the Union urgently write to school reps informing them of the details of the offer – and the other points in these recommendations and urging them to call school meetings to discuss it and ask members to respond to the NUT on-line survey.

“f) that the Union start preparations for a ballot for non-strike sanctions and that this be on a wider basis than pensions alone – including workload and the threats to worsen the performance management arrangements.

“g) that the Union propose to other unions a joint program of publicity and action to continue to campaign for improvements in the pension including by putting forward a petition on the Government website calling for teachers and other public sector workers not to be expected to work to 68 years.

“h) that the Union continue to work with the NPC, public sector and private sector unions and through both the PSLG and TUCG to develop the campaign around fair pensions for all.

“i) that the Union continue to meet with other unions that have not signed up to the heads of agreement to discuss the possibilities of joint campaigning and possible further strike and non-strike action.

“j) that a divisional secretaries meeting be held on 2nd February to discuss the developments in the pensions campaign and the campaign around performance management and other workload issues

Now Aske's are planning to open free school

2012-01-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

It was no surprise that Michael Gove chose Haberdasher's Aske's in Lewisham to give his speech on Wednesday falsely proclaiming the advantages of Academies - while boring his auidence literally to sleep: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qQL5L31-1E

As Christine Blower said in response:
“The Secretary of State's assertion that the opponents of the Government's forced academy programme are "happy with failure" is an insult to all the hard-working and dedicated teachers, school leaders, support staff and governors in our schools"

But his visit has been followed by news today that Aske's are - amongst other expansion plans - apparently planning to expand their empire further by opening a two-form entry primary 'free school' in 2013. This will undermine exactly those hard-working local schools as Aske's continue to use their separate arrangements to distort local admissions and undermine comprehensive education.

Lewisham NUT will be woking with local parents and schools to oppose this threat.

Pensions 'offer' rejected by Unite

2012-01-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.unitetheunion.org/news__events/latest_news/unite_unanimously_rejects_nhs.aspx

The government’s latest proposals on NHS pension ‘reform’ - the ‘Heads of Agreement’ document - were unanimously rejected by Unite, the largest union in the country, today.

Unite’s health sector national industrial committee (HSNIC) rejected the ‘Heads of Agreement’ as a basis for a satisfactory outcome.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: ”Our NHS executive unanimously rejects the government’s pernicious attempts to make hard working and dedicated NHS staff pay more, work longer and get less when they retire.

”The government’s attacks on public sector pensions are politically motivated, as part of an overall design to privatise the NHS, cut public services, break-up the national pay agreements, and disrupt legitimate trade union activities and organisation.

”Unite believes it is important to continue a campaign to maintain a fair and equitable system of public sector pensions and calls on ministers to enter into real, genuine and meaningful negotiations on the future of NHS pensions and public sector pensions.”

Unite’s concerns centre on three areas:

A high proportion of NHS staff will see their pension contributions jump from the current 6.5 per cent to 9.3 per cent by 2014/15, and other staff will see their contributions leap by nearly 50 per cent, with some paying 14.5 per cent of their salary into their pensions.
The linking of the NHS retirement age to the ever-increasing age that people will receive their state pensions. The state retirement age is set to rise to 66 in 2020 and 67 by 2026, with the prospect of working even longer in future decades. Unite is concerned that, for example, paramedics and nurses could be doing heavy lifting into their late 60s.
The proposed accrual rate for NHS staff is worse than the planned rates for other public sector schemes. Because this will be based on career average earnings, it will hit women who had taken career breaks to raise their children hardest.

The Unite HSNIC is due to meet again on 11 January to formulate future strategy. Unite has 100,000 members in the health service.

From the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16431284

The Unite union has rejected the government's latest offer on public sector pensions for NHS workers.

The union's health sector committee called on ministers to enter "genuine and meaningful" negotiations on the future of pensions.

The union, which has 100,000 members in the NHS, will meet again on 11 January to decide what action to take next.

The government updated an offer for NHS workers in December, but stressed that it was its final offer.

A number of unions are meeting in the coming days to consider the proposed deal.

Unite's health sector national industrial committee unanimously rejected the offer.

It said that its concerns included the prospect of nurses and paramedics doing heavy lifting into their late 60s, as well as career average pensions affecting staff who took career breaks to raise children.

"Our NHS executive unanimously rejects the government's pernicious attempts to make hard working and dedicated NHS staff pay more, work longer and get less when they retire," said Unite general secretary Len McCluskey.

"Unite believes it is important to continue a campaign to maintain a fair and equitable system of public sector pensions and calls on ministers to enter into real, genuine and meaningful negotiations on the future of NHS pensions and public sector pensions."

The move follows a decision by the British Medical Association (BMA) to survey around 130,000 doctors and medical students on the government's final offer.

The BMA said it would seek the views of its members on whether the proposed deal was acceptable, and if not, what action they would be prepared to take. The BMA said a formal ballot on industrial action - its first for more than 30 years - could follow.

Lewisham Council plans threaten teachers and education

2012-01-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Lewisham Council opened a four-week consultation which threatens the future employment of around hundred staff - and also threatens the education of the youngsters they support, youngsters with special needs who will deal particularly badly with change and disruption to their education.

The staff work at Meadowgate and Pendragon Special Schools and in the Communication and Interaction Outreach (CIT) Team based at Kaleidoscope in Catford. They have been told that they will have to go through a competitive interview process to secure future work from September - but will lose their jobs if unsuccessful.

This threat stems from the decision of the Council's Special Needs Review back in 2007 to close Meadowgate and Pendragon Schools and open a new school for students with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) - to be called Drumbeat. However, staff always understood that that most of them would transfer employment to the new school. After all, they already have the skills, experience and knowledge of supporting these individual students.

Staff and unions have been asking for years for clarification as to how the transition from Meadowgate and Pendragon schools to Drumbeat would be handled. Now, to our shock and anger, we find at the last minute that the Council is refusing to guarantee continuing employment to staff but plans to put the jobs in the new school out to external advert at the same time as existing staff have to apply for posts. This is a clear threat to staff that they are not wanted in the new school.

Students will also be disturbed to find that the staff that they have built up a relationship with may no longer be supporting and teaching them in September. In particular, staff and unions are concerned about students at Pendragon School who are presently studying for qualifications as it is unclear how the Council plans to teach these courses from September. Some families may be advised to seek a place in a mainstream school - but it is far from clear where places suitable for these youngsters can be found.

We are particularly concerned to find that, although the new Drumbeat will be catering for similar numbers of students as in the two existing schools, staff numbers are to be cut. The new school is intended to support students with even greater needs yet the Council plans to cut the budget compared to the existing schools. Is this the high-quality education that parents were promised in the Special Needs Review ?

The staff in the CIT have even more reason to be angry. As recently as last year, Council papers were clearly talking about the team '"transferring" to Drumbeat - with no suggestion that they would have to reapply for their posts. Now they face a period of unnecessary insecurity - along with the schools and students that they support.

Lewisham NUT - along with other staff unions - is strongly opposing this threat to teachers and education. There is no justification for treating staff and students in this way. We will be meeting with Council Officers on Friday and demanding that they rethink their plans. If they do not, then we will be mounting a strong campaign to defend staff and students from these plans.

Total Cost of the Government's Attack on Teachers' Pensions

2012-01-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Steve Cushion, of the London Retired Members’ Branch of the UCU has circulated the following calculations to outline how badly we would be hit if unions accepted the Government's 'offer':

If we were to accept the government's latest offer on "reform" of the Teachers' Pension Scheme, the average scheme member would be £93,000 worse off, while a teacher with 40 years service would be nearly £200,000 out of pocket.

The increased contribution from 6.4% to 9.6%, an average annual contribution increase of £1239, would leave the average teacher £18,500 worse off after 15 years of service. Meanwhile the employers' contribution remains capped at 14%. The maximum contributory service of 40 years would result in increased contributions of £50,000.

As a result of the proposed increase in normal pension age from 65 to 68, the average member would lose three years pension at £11,759 per year. This would leave a lecturer retiring after the average service of 15 years £35,000 worse off, while one retiring after the maximum pensionable service of 40 years would be £90,000 worse off.

As a result of the proposed change from Final Salary to Career Average (CARE), a lecturer retiring after the average service of 15 years would be £22,000 worse off, while one retiring after the maximum pensionable service of 40 years would be £3,000 worse off . This proposal is based on adding together 1/57th of each years' actual salary, enhanced by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) with an additional 1.6% as opposed to the current system of taking 1/60th of the final salary. It does not affect very long service members as badly as those under 30 year's service, but everyone loses.

It is perfectly possible to negotiate a CARE scheme that does not result in members losing money, it all depends on the accrual rate. In order to achieve the current average pension of £11,759, based on the current average salary of £38,737 after 15 years of service, the accrual factor would have to be at least 1/50.

The change from RPI to CPI in the calculation of the indexation of pensions is not compensated the addition of 1.6% to CPI. This leaves all pensioners, including current pensioners worse off. Thus the average lecturer retiring after 15 years' service would be £18,500 worse off, while one retiring after the maximum pensionable service of 40 years would be £54,650 worse off. This applies to current as well as future pensioners and so retired members should be included in any ballot on acceptance or rejection of the government's so-called reforms.

The full calculations are available at

http://www.ucu-retired-london.org.uk/pdf/pension-report.pdf

"Any increase in contributions from members will not aid their retirement; they will raise funds for the Treasury. This is simply a tax on public sector workers".

Pensions - Emergency Conference on January 7

2011-12-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

Organising Conference Saturday: Friends Meeting House

(opp. Euston Station) 7^th January 2012
11am – 4pm

Chair: Janice Godrich PCS President

Speakers: Mark Serwotka PCS General Secretary

John McDonnell MP

Kevin Courtney DGS NUT (personal capacity)

Roger Bannister UNISON NEC (personal capacity)

Mark Campbell UCU NEC (personal capacity)

Zita Holbourne BARAC

Kevin Donnelly Unite United Left

What the pensions 'offer' meant: - pay more, get less, retire older

2011-12-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

The NASUWT website contains a link to the ‘offer’ that was presented to the education unions before Christmas – and that both the NUT and NASUWT refused to sign. You can read it for yourself on:

http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/consum/groups/public/@journalist/documents/nas_download/nasuwt_008758.pdf

I am sure that NUT and NASUWT pensions experts will be able to provide teachers with some precise modelling to update the 'pensions calculators' and to rebuff the false claims that the Government have been making. For now, this is what I think the different clauses in the 'Heads of Agreement' meant:

1 i) Unions must agree to no more strike action while the ‘deal’ is being finalised = AGREE TO GIVE-UP THE WEAPON THAT REALLY THREATENS US, and

ii) If you want a better accrual rate (i.e a bigger amount set aside each year to improve pension payouts), you’ll have to pay for it by a worse indexation rate (cutting pension payouts), because we’re not putting any more money into the scheme (see 3 below) = THERE IS NO MORE MONEY ON THE TABLE SO THERE CAN BE NO REAL CONCESSIONS.

2a. The final-salary scheme will be replaced by a career-average-scheme. Because of the way that career-average schemes work, this change will mean a much smaller pension unless the new ‘accrual rate’ is considerably better than the 1/60 rate that applies in the existing final-salary scheme for new entrants (for example, the Nuvos career-average scheme negotiated in 2006 for the civil service has a much better rate of 1/43) ...

b. ... but they only propose a marginal improvement to a rate of 1/57. A full calculation and modelling needs to be done to show exactly how much pensions would be cut as a result (and should have been done before any union agreed) but it = WE GET LESS PENSION.

c. Career-averages have to be linked to some kind of indexation to bring past salaries in line with today’s prices. In November, the Government were proposing the link was with average earnings. Now they have changed that to CPI + 1.6% – and they have also calculated that this would mean a cut in scheme costs. i.e. = WE GET LESS PENSION.

d. Normal Pension Age will equal the State Pension Age = WE RETIRE OLDER.

This is worse than was on offer in November because Osborne announced in his Autumn Statement that the increase in State Pension Age will now hit more workers. Instead of having to be born after 5 April 1969 to see your State Pension Age rise to 67, now anyone born after 6 April 1961 will now not get to retire on their full pension until they are 67 or older. For younger workers, it will be 68. The Government wants to increase this even further beyond 68 in future. Negotiators had been discussing if a deal could be reached that would set teachers’ pension ages beneath the State Pension Age. In December, the Government took any such possible compromise off the table.

e. Pensions in payment to increase in line with the CPI = WE GET LESS PENSION. The NUT will be appealing against the court ruling that the Government was justified in switching from the higher RPI to the lower CPI Index but, if the courts again find against us, this will mean around a 15% cut in pensions paid out over retirement.

f. Benefits earned in deferment to increase in line with CPI, also = WE GET LESS PENSION

g. Average member contributions of 9.6% = WE PAY MORE, while our real pay is cut again. These are the same pay cuts that have been displayed on the NUT pensions calculator for some time. The increases will be phased in from April 2012, the full impact being in place from April 2014. For a UPS3 teacher in Inner London, they mean a £48 monthly pay cut in 2012 (£30 in England/Wales), and a £123 monthly cut in 2014 (£74 in E/W).

h. to k. (partner pension, death in service, ill-health etc. – same as in current scheme)

l. “Actuarially fair early/late retirement factors on a cost-neutral basis except for those retiring earlier than their NPA at age 65, 66 and 67, who will have early retirement factors of 3% per year (relative to their NPA)” = WE GET LESS PENSION if you don’t work on until new, higher, normal pension ages. The only slight concession offered here is that, instead of losing around 5% of your pension for every year you retire before your NPA, the Government will kindly only steal 3% per year from you if you decide to retire at 65-67. This will still mean a big loss of your pension if you decide you can’t struggle on to 67 or 68 but need to take your pension earlier. If you decide to retire at 65, when your NPA to get a full pension is 68, you would still lose 9% of your entitlements. The Government know most of us can’t struggle on until 68 – so they can rob our pensions.

m. “An employer cost cap to provide backstop protection to the taxpayer against unforeseen costs and risks” (In other words, if they decide that we are living longer, the employers won’t have to pay more – the extra costs will be borne by us, the employees).

3. “The gross cost ceiling has been fixed at 21.7%” = WE PAY IN MORE, THEY PAY IN LESS! Employees’ contributions will be going up to an average 9.6% from the existing 6.4% - a 50% increase. To total 21.7%, that means employers’ contributions will be going down from 14.1% to 12.1%. No wonder Danny Alexander bragged in Parliament that his proposals will make pensions "substantially more affordable to alternative providers" - paving the way for further privatisation by driving down the cost of our pensions.

6. “Teachers who, as of 1 April 2012, have 10 years or less to their current pension age will see no change in when they can retire, nor any decrease in the amount of pension they receive at their current Normal Pension Age”. This is simply the ’10-year protection” that was offered – and rightly rejected as being insufficient – back in November. Even these teachers would still have to pay in more from 2012 and get less in retirement due to CPI.

7. “Members who are within a further 3.5 years of their Normal Pension Age, i.e. up to 13.5 years from their NPA will have limited protection”. This was the only slight further concession giving some protection to teachers aged between 46½ and 50 by April 2012. The Government’s figures show about 60% of teachers would get no protection at all.

Emergency Conference to Organise Against Pensions Retreat - Jan 7

2011-12-21T01:40:00.000-08:00

I have received this invitation from the PCS Left Unity National Committee - please attend and forward to your colleagues:

Organising Conference:
DEFEND PENSIONS - ESCALATE ACTION
- NAME DAY FOR NATIONAL STRIKE
Friends Meeting House (opp. Euston Station)
Saturday 7th January 2012 11am – 4pm

Chair: Janice Godrich PCS President
Main Speaker: Mark Serwotka PCS General Secretary
(other speakers to be announced)

November 30th was the biggest show of strength from Britain’s trade unions in living memory. It shook the coalition government and provided a firm foundation for the escalation of industrial action to defeat the unjustified attack on pensions and to challenge the coalition’s pay freeze, cuts and privatisation programme.

At the TUC’s Public Sector Liaison Group Mark Serwotka on behalf on PCS argued the TUC should set the date for a further day of nationally coordinated strike action to bring the government into serious negotiations. Although there was some support for this position the TUC general secretary Brendan Barber argued that all the unions should sign up to a so-called “Heads of Agreement”, this means the core issues, on which we took action, working longer, paying more and getting less, are surrendered, just as the government have wanted. Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, argued for acceptance of this “deal”.

It is almost beyond belief that when the confidence of the movement is at its highest point in decades as a result of November 30th and with an additional 100,000 recruits due to the action such an abject surrender is being considered. Now is the time to set the date, as early as possible in 2012, preferably January, for a further day of nationally coordinated industrial action which can be escalated by bringing even more unions on board including workers, like those in Unilever, fighting to defend private sector pensions.

The PCS Left Unity National Committee invites all activists from all unions to an organising conference on the 7th of January to debate how we can build the campaign to defend our pensions and fight the cuts and prevent any unacceptable “deal” that makes us work longer, pay more and get less.

This will be an organising conference, not just a debating forum. It is intended to arm activists with the issues so they can go back to their workplaces and into their unions in order to build a campaign that will secure justice on pensions.

To cover costs there will be a registration fee of £5 for waged delegates.

FAIR PENSIONS FOR ALL - STOP THE CUTS - NO PRIVATISATION

Pensions - Organise to Reject the Shoddy 'Deal'

2011-12-21T00:30:00.000-08:00

The decision by the leaders of the main Local Government and Health unions like UNISON and GMB - and others like the ATL - to sign-up to the ‘Heads of Agreement’ on pensions is a sorry capitulation to Government pressure.

Just as, once again, another report reveals how big firms are getting away with billions of pounds of tax avoidance, trade union leaders have accepted cuts to the livelihoods of millions of workers who, once again, are expected to pay the price for a crisis that was none of our making.

If this deal is allowed to go through, it also risks encouraging this Government to accelerate all its other attacks on jobs, conditions and public services. In Parliament, Danny Alexander made absolutely clear that his proposals will make pensions "substantially more affordable to alternative providers" - paving the way for the further privatisation that was always a key driver to these pension cuts.

Fortunately, not every union leader has shown the same lack of backbone. The main education unions, NUT, NASUWT, UCU – along with UCAC in Wales and EIS in Scotland – have refused to sign-up by the imposed deadline. The PCS rejected the deal outright – and have the support of others like NIPSA. UNITE did not sign-up to the deal in Health after details of the proposals were shared with – and rejected – by their Health Sector National Committee.

While the weak-willed leaders will try to claim that they have won important ‘concesssions’, Danny Alexander’s assurance to Parliament yesterday reveals the truth, that the Government will still be able to make the planned "tens of billions of pounds" of savings if the ‘deal’ goes through,. The overall ‘cost-ceiling’ budget imposed for the schemes has not been lifted, so that any ‘concessions’ could only be paid for by worsening of arrangements somewhere else.

For example, UNISON have claimed improved 'accrual rates' - the rate at which pension benefits are built up – as a victory. But Alexander made clear to MPs that any improvement would be offset by a lower revaluation linked to prices rather than earnings. Or, as he put in bluntly: "These agreements deliver the government's key objectives in full, and do so with no new money since our November offer".

The sorry truth is that those union leaders have signed up to deals which are only marginally different to those which were correctly rejected in November and against which millions of workers took united strike action. The underlying principles of the ‘Heads of Agreement’ deals are brutally clear – public sector workers must pay more, to get less pension and to retire older. How can any serious trade union leader accept them?

Once the truth is revealed, and trade union members see how their pay and pensions are being cut, there will be real anger against leaders who have caved-in so easily. However, the Government hope that a deal can be rushed through before opposition from below can put a stop to it.

There is now an urgent need to campaign in every union for a rejection of the deal. Already it is reported that the Local Government unions are questioning what has been agreed after Eric Pickles sent a letter that apparently announced new conditions about limits to employers' contributions - meaning that employees' contributions would have to rise. http://union-news.co.uk/2011/12/breaking-news-unison-unite-and-gmb-withdraw-from-pensions-deal/

When the NASUWT and NUT Executives meet in early January to discuss the proposals, they must be opposed. In doing so, we must also confirm plans for further action alongside other unions in the New Year. At least now the stark reality will be clear to all – we fight on or we allow the Government to get away with their robbery of our hard-earned pensions.

As a key part of that urgent campaign, Left Unity in PCS, the union that has stood firmest against the proposals, has organised an emergency conference in London on Saturday January 7th in Friends Meeting House, Euston at 11 am. Mark Serwotka will be one of the main speakers. Everyone who is serious about defending our pensions against the Government’s attacks should try and be there.

NUT Pensions Statement - NUT have NOT signed up to any deal

2011-12-19T12:35:00.001-08:00

Update: I understand that four education unions refused to sign the deal today but are all 'reserving their position' until talks continue in the New Year - that's NASUWT, UCAC and UCU as well as the NUT.

NUT PRESS RELEASE: Teachers’ Pension Scheme - talks to continue in the New Year

Commenting on the latest round of Teachers’ Pension Scheme talks, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union said:

“Following lengthy discussions today the NUT was not able to sign up to the Government’s headline proposals. There was insufficient progress in terms of the Government’s position that teachers should work longer, pay more and get less.

In the NUT we reserved our position due to lack of progress but also the lack of documentation in certain critical areas.

“The NUT National Executive will meet in January to take a view on progress in the negotiations and next steps in our campaign.

“The Union remains committed to negotiations and will take part in talks in the New Year.

The following message will also be going on to NUT members tomorrow:

Pensions latest – update on talks with Government

Dear colleague

Despite the lengthy discussions over the last few days, the current proposals from the Government still do not address all of the NUT’s concerns. The Government still wants you to work longer, pay more and get less.

Under these circumstances the NUT has not been able to sign up to the Government’s headline proposals. In the New Year we expect to receive further documentation from the Government, which we hope will clarify the latest offer. We will keep you fully informed of how these proposals will impact on your pension entitlements.

The NUT will continue to represent your interests in the negotiations, as well as pursuing the court case over the RPI/CPI change.

Your National Executive will meet in January (January 12) to take a view on progress in the negotiations so far and next steps in our campaign, including any further proposals on industrial action.

Thanks to the many thousands of NUT members who signed Christmas postcards to Michael Gove. I was proud to deliver those to the DfE yesterday, with our Deputy General Secretary, Kevin Courtney. That so many of you signed them is a clear sign of the strength of feeling in the profession. Even since yesterday more than a 1,000 more signatures have arrived at our head office. Please see our website www.teachers.org.uk for a picture of yesterday’s hand-in of the postcards at the DfE.

Please continue to check the NUT website www.teachers.org.uk/pensions and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NUTonline for more information on the pensions campaign in the New Year.

I wish you a very well-deserved holiday.

With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Yours sincerely

Christine Blower

NUT General Secretary

Pensions - Union leaders under pressure from all sides

2011-12-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

A lively lobby of the TUC this afternoon made sure that every delegate attending the key meeting of the Public Sector Liaison Group knew how strongly trade union members felt about the worrying suggestions that some public sector unions were about to sign an unacceptable deal on pensions.

On the steps of Congress House, Mark Serwotka made a strong defence of the PCS' stand in refusing to cave-in to the bullying tactics of the Government. Unfortunately reports suggest that some unions seem ready to sign-up to the 'Heads of Agreement' letter setting out the principles of the Government offer, even though none of the fundamentals have changed from the offer that we all rejected in November - and took united strike action to oppose.

The Government has been trying to blackmail union leaders into signing-up to this unacceptable deal by threatening that if they didn't, an even worse offer would be imposed - and that those unions that didn't cave-in would be thrown out of all future talks. This 'punishment' has apparently already been announced for the PCS.

But union chiefs seeking to do a deal are also under pressure from below - knowing that they will have to justify their decision to union members who will want to know why they have thrown in the towel when no serious further concessions have been won. Where the details of the deal have been shared - e.g with the Health Sector National Committee of UNITE - it is reported that there was an overwhelming view given to the negotiators that they must reject the deal.

In Education, talks have been going on for much of the day, with the NUT and NASUWT apparently trying to persuade other education unions to stand firm. News to follow.

URGENT - Pensions lies and game playing - LOBBY TUC FROM 3.30 TODAY

2011-12-19T03:20:00.000-08:00

A deliberate game of lies and game-playing is being played by Government Ministers and the press to try and undermine opposition to their pensions robbery in order to try and bully unions into accepting a shoddy deal today when the joint-union Public Sector Liaison Group meets at the TUC at a newly-confirmed time of 5pm today.

THIS MEANS THAT THE LOBBY OF THE TUC WILL NOW START AT 3.30pm - BUT IT IS NOW MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER THAT TRADE UNIONISTS COME ALONG TO SHOW THEIR OPPOSITION TO ANY CAVE-IN ON PENSIONS.

This morning, the BBC has withdrawn a quote from its website claiming that Christine Blower had said that the NUT was 'close to a deal'. This is all part of the game-playing designed to isolate unions - including the NUT - who are standing firm against the acceptance of an unacceptable deal.

Christine has issued a statement saying that "Some colleagues may have seen a report on the BBC website by Norman Smith which quotes me as saying that ‘a deal is close with the Government on teachers’ pensions’. In fact, on entering the talks I said teachers cannot work longer, pay more and get less - I made no such claim on a potential resolution"

Politicians have also been lying about what is actually on offer. As the NASUWT correctly states in an email sent to their members:
"The discussions have been inhibited from making real progress due to the Government's prevarication, delay in providing key information and game playing ... In the last few weeks, the Government has confirmed its intention to make further announcements on reforms to public sector pension schemes before Parliament rises on Tuesday 20 December. The timing of this announcement has not been discussed with the trade unions. As the imposed deadline for completion draws near, a deadline that is completely unnecessary given that scheme changes will not take effect until 2015, the Coalition has continued to impose further changes that will materially affect the outcome of these discussions, including the arbitrary decisions to take off the table the option of a final salary scheme for teachers and the decision to remove flexibility in relation to linking the NPA to the SPA.

This raises serious questions about the Coalition Government's commitment to genuine negotiations".

Kazakhstan - protest against murderous repression

2011-12-19T02:09:00.000-08:00

The muderous repression of oilworkers and their supporters is continuing in Kazakhstan. For latest reports see: http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/5497

I have sent this message of support today - please send in your protest too:

To the Kazakhstan authorities:
I am writing to protest at the murderous repression and mass arrests of oil-workers and their supporters in Zhanaozen, Aktau and other parts of Kazakhstan.
This repression will not succeed in breaking the spirit of the Kazakhstan workers who have no alternative but to struggle because of the conditions that they are having to live under. In fact, it will do the opposite of what you intend - it will only strengthen their determination to struggle.
I call on you to stop the repression and release those arrested,
Yours, Martin Powell-Davies, member of the National Executive of the National Union of Teachers, London, UK

Latest update from Kazakhstan:

According to reports from the Public commission for investigating the bloody events of 16-17th December in Aktau, young workers from the “OzenMunaiGaz” company who have been arrested in Zhenaozen are being thrown into the open yard at the remand prison and are having water thrown over them. The temperature is currently MINUS 17 CELSIUS. The torturers are attempting to get the workers to admit to rioting and to give evidence against their friends. These Nazi methods must be stopped.

Protest immediately to the Kazakhstan Embassy in your country and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kazakhstan at Email: mid@mid.kz and send messages of support to: Otekeeva0103@mail.ru with copies to kazakhstansolidarity@gmail.com

Financial Times confirms danger of pensions sell-out

2011-12-17T03:34:00.000-08:00

Today's Financial Times reveals the hopes of the financiers that their millionaires Government can stitch up a deal to sell-off our pensions. But it also shows that the deal is far from done - so please keep up the pressure over the weekend and by building the Lobby of the TUC PSLG at 2pm on Monday afternoon outside Congress House in Great Russell Street.

Please add your name to the NSSN petition:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pensions_strike_january/

FT Report: - Unions pushed to agree pensions deal
The chances of a breakthrough in the dispute over public sector pensions are on a knife-edge as the government pushes for outline agreements on the main changes for teachers, civil servants, health and council workers by Tuesday.

Frantic last-minute negotiations raised the possibility that the alliance of 29 unions that brought more than 1m workers out on strike on November 30 could fragment.

Some union leaders said “significant progress” was being made in talks within the schemes that could avert more industrial action. But the leftwing Public and Commercial Services union said ministers had threatened to throw it out of civil service talks if it did not agree to the main changes by 10am on Monday.

Ministers want to announce “heads of agreement” on each scheme on Tuesday, when Francis Maude, Cabinet Office minister, or Danny Alexander, Treasury chief secretary – the lead negotiators with the unions – will address the Commons. The government has threatened it may withdraw its latest offer, including protection for those within 10 years of retirement and a more generous rate for accruing pension benefits, unless a preliminary agreement is reached by year-end.

Negotiations are continuing even though the government angered unions on Friday by pressing ahead with raising pension contributions for teachers and civil servants next year, which unions said was “unnecessarily provocative”. Most civil servants and teachers will pay an extra 0.6-2.4 per cent of salary, with the higher paid contributing most. That is the first step in an average 3 percentage-point contribution increase phased in over three years.

Ministers have refused to compromise over the contributions increase and a planned move to schemes linked to the state pension age, based on career average pay rather than final salaries.

Local government employers and unions have agreed a framework that could postpone contribution changes for two years by bundling all the issues together, but are awaiting approval from ministers. Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, told members: “I believe that – if agreed – the principles under discussion will provide a very positive framework for negotiations and potentially could lead to no change until 2014.”

Langdon School - action brings results

2011-12-17T03:08:00.000-08:00

After ten days of solid strike action, NUT members at Langdon School in Newham have voted overwhelmingly to suspend their strikes after growing pressure on the Local Authority helped to achieve some significant movement in negotiations to resolve the original grievances around workload and oppressive management.

The dispute is still far from resolved and members may need to return to strike action if the negotiated outcomes do not produce acceptable changes at the school.

However, as the Langdon NUT reps have said in their latest statement;
“We feel that we have shown that collective action works and that we have made considerable gains. We have won the victories we have because our group was willing to stand firm in the face of massive bullying and strike breaking attempts and maintain a solid and united strike. We also had brilliant support from the NUT at all levels: association, National Exec and Regional and National officials. In addition, the enormous solidarity we received from all of you kept us firm. We think we have shown that the NUT is a union which fights for its members and stands up to bullies at work ... Our group is transformed. We have new members, new strikers, new pickets, new speakers and new organisers. We have enormous solidarity and complete confidence in one another. Our morale is high and we have learned many lessons which we will put to good use. We are proud to be in the NUT”

Langdon NUT members should indeed be proud for their collective stand. Hopefully, the school management, the Labour Local Authority and the Tory Ministers who issued the advice to recruit strike-breakers will have realised that running a school with supply staff is not easy to sustain – and that the NUT will be prepared to respond with the action necessary to confront such a threat. Let's also hope that the gains that have been won do indeed produce the changes needed in the way the school is run.

Nevertheless, the dispute has been a warning to all NUT members about the methods that will be used to try and defeat our collective strength as we battle to defend teachers and education against swingeing cuts and attacks on public services.

Sign to say: Don't give up the pensions fight

2011-12-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

Here are links to two statements circulating - please add your support:

E-petition from the National Shop Stewards Network
Add your signature on: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pensions_strike_january/

We the undersigned:

Recognise that the magnficent N30 strike showed the potential power of public sector workers to defeat the government.

We reject Maude's latest pensions proposals which will mean all public sector workers having to work longer, pay more, and get less.

We say no to secret deals by union leaders over the heads of the membership. We demand democratic control of the negotiations.

We demand that the date is set for the next co-ordinated public sector strike early in the New Year. UNISON Scotland has already proposed 25 January as the date of the next strike.

Statement initiated by NUT and UCU Executive members:
Add your signature on http://bit.ly/sVyIla

The government’s “final offer” is no improvement. There is no extra money on offer. The government still wants public sector workers to work longer, pay more and get less.

They haven’t moved on core issues:
* Fifty percent rise in pension contributions.
* Normal pension age to rise to the state retirement age. Retirement at 68 for those 34 and under.
* Pensions indexed at CPI instead of RPI. A cut for all existing pensioners.

We agree with those union general secretaries who are against accepting this offer. We ask all union general secretaries, if is was right to strike against these proposals on November 30th how it can be right to accept them now?

Ordinary trade union members have demonstrated their determination to resist these unfair and unnecessary changes; we call on our trade union leaders to reject the Government's bullying tactics and reject their unacceptable offer.

Act Now to Stop a Pensions Sell-Out

2011-12-16T06:27:00.000-08:00

With perhaps predictable timing, just as we all head for a well-earned Christmas break, it seems that, despite the opposition of the NUT and others including the PCS and NASUWT, some TUC leaders are seeking to cave-in and sign an unacceptable attack on our pensions.

They would be guilty of accepting a pensions robbery which, just two weeks ago, we were all united in saying was unjustified and unacceptable.

They will demoralise and undermine our united movement and invite the Government to go on the attack on jobs, facility time, TUPE, pay bargaining, capability procedures - and all the other attacks that they have lined up.

Please help apply urgent pressure to make sure that negotiators do not cave-in but show the same courage and determination as their members showed in their millions on November 30.

A) I understand unions will be calling a Lobby of the TUC meeting planned for Monday afternoon (Dec 19th). This is where a decision could be taken to accept the shoddy deal.

THE LOBBY WILL START AT 2.00 pm at Congress House, 23-28 Great Russell Street, WC1B. Please attend if you can!

B) Please sign the e-petition put out by the National Shop Stewards Network calling for a rejection of the deal and for further united action in January:

iPetitions: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pensions_strike_january/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend

C) Please support and publicise the emergency open meeting being called by PCS Left Unity at Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London on Saturday 7 January to demand further action on pensions.

This meeting will be open to all reps in any union that took action on N30 and is to put pressure on union leaderships to name a further strike day, more details will be issued shortly.

D) Please support other similar initiatives - such as the letter being signed by London NUT branch secretaries - and forward these appeals to friends and colleagues.

URGENT: Pensions - No shoddy deal, set the date for action

2011-12-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

Just when this Government is cracking at the seams, just when we have had one of the largest strikes for generations, some in the TUC are trying to recommend a shoddy deal that will allow the Government to get away with their pensions robbery.

Urgent pressure needs to be applied in every union to make sure that negotiators do not cave-in but show the same courage and determination as their members showed in their millions on November 30.

Reports from today's TUC PSLG meeting suggest that some, such as Brendan Barber and Dave Prentis, are arguing that 'we have gone as far as we can' and that unions should all agree to sign-up and throw in the towel on Monday. Reportedly, the PCS have even been told that if they don't agree by then, all talks will be ceased - with the threat that any concessions that have been offered (not that there are many!) will be removed.

I understand that the PCS, NUT and others like the NASUWT have stood firm - but others are clearly looking to settle. But what gains have been made? Prentis can apparently point to the offer of a two-year delay in increased contributions in Local Government - but that only postpones the pain to come. I understand that he has nothing similar in the Health negotiations. Certainly, nothing similar has been offered in education - in fact the hope that the Government might offer retirement ages set lower than the State Pension Age has been dashed - so it's still retirement at 67 and 68 for many. The only minor concession might be that if you retire at 66, you'll only lose 3% of your pension for every year of 'early' retirement instead of 5%!!. Even that would have to be paid for by losses elsewhere in the scheme.

Crucially, the Government has refused to lift the 'cost-ceiling' - in other words they are insisting that we pay for the Government's debts, even though they have refused any valuation to justify their attacks. So that means we still pay more, to get less and retire older - yet Brendan Barber wants us to settle on Monday!

If these union leaders have no stomach for a fight, then they have no right to call themselves a leadership. They will be guilty of accepting a pensions robbery which, just two weeks ago, we were all united in saying was unjustified and unacceptable. They will demoralise and undermine our united movement and invite the Government to go on the attack on jobs, facility time, TUPE, pay bargaining, capability procedures - and all the other attacks that they have lined up.

So put out an urgent call in every union - don't cave-in. Call the Government's bluff and announce the next day of united strike action in January!

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE PREPARES PLAN FOR FURTHER PENSIONS ACTION

2011-12-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

The December meeting of the National Executive heard excellent reports from around the country from the united strike action on November 30 – one of the biggest for generations and probably the biggest strike in Britain ever by women.

The Executive congratulated members for their magnificent support. In every area, more schools were closed than in June, there were more rallies and demonstrations - and a bigger turnout at those events. Feedback showed that school reps particularly enjoyed the high level of public support and the feeling of trade union unity.

The Executive noted the "concessions" offered by the Government, but affirmed that they nowhere near meet our objectives of protecting fair pensions for our members without unjustified increases in contributions.

Kevin Courtney spelt out how Osborne had thrown down the gauntlet to us all in the Autumn Statement: further attacks on pay, even more public sector job cuts, attacks on TUPE and national pay bargaining as well as accelerating the increase in the pension age.

Kevin also reported from the on-going negotiations which had not, as yet, yielded any substantial concessions. Ministers are still lying about pension costs and the nature of their ‘offers’. Nick Gibb’s latest email message even claims that “it would not be a sensible use of public funds to undertake costly actuarial valuations”. Clearly, it’s cheaper just to make things up !

The various union legal challenges to the change from RPI to CPI had been thrown out - but the NUT has been granted leave to appeal against the ruling on one area where there was a split judgement. One judge - although in a minority - did agree with the Union’s view that the Government had chosen CPI over RPI basically because it would save money and not because it was a better method to calculate price increases.

We also noted the determination of Government to maintain its offensive and how it had now wheeled out Lord Hutton to justify its actions (obviously stung by the fact that his own Report confirmed our arguments and National Audit Office evidence that, far from being unaffordable, the cost of public sector pensions is actually set to fall).

But, if we are all agreed that we are going to resist that offensive - then we have to continue – and escalate - our campaign. That’s why the Executive agreed a motion setting out a series of steps to maintain and develop that campaign in order to protect teachers, particularly young teachers.

Some of the key points we agreed were to:

Seek to maintain unity with other unions in negotiations to protect our existing schemes;

Continue to work to retain and build the broadest possible coalition of unions to campaign and act against the Government’s proposals. This could include private-sector workers as well as those in the public sector. For example, the NUT General Secretary supported my suggestion of sending a message of support to members of UNITE in Unilever plants taking strike action against cuts to their pension scheme;

Produce further campaigning materials, including material targeted at young teachers;

Survey members on willingness to take further action of all kinds – national, regional, selective;

Call on the TUC to call a further day of strike action early in the New Year, and to consider further action beyond that;

Call on the TUC to draw up plans for a national demonstration on pensions/austerity;

Hold public lobbying events where ministers speak and visit, and at MPs’ surgeries and to approach the Labour Party to clarify their views;

Assess the feasibility of a levy of members through the Direct Debit system to support further action - e.g. to support hardship claims;

Investigate what action short of strike action can be taken to further our campaign - e.g. to work in united action with NASUWT colleagues;

Hold emergency Executive meetings if decisions need to be made on actions, negotiations etc;

Approach other unions, including those with members in the private sector, and the National Pensions Convention, to develop the ‘Fair Pensions for All’ campaign as a high-profile public campaign, involving stalls and petitions.

We cannot let the Government get away with their pensions robbery. Together, we can defeat it. So enjoy your Xmas break - but prepare for more action - and tell National Executive members what you think is needed to win.

… and don’t forget to make sure staff sign and send-off the “All I want for Christmas is our pensions back” Christmas Card for Mr Gove included in the latest national reps’ mailing from NUT Headquarters!

December NUT Executive Report - Workload and other issues

2011-12-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

The Pensions dispute is only part of the battle we are facing to defend teachers and education. Here are some other issues we discussed:

Capability and Performance Management

The Executive heard an update on our campaign to oppose the Government’s plans to repeal the existing Performance Management Regulations, which includes getting rid of the ‘three hour yearly limit’ on classroom observations.

We are seeking to get a joint policy on capability, observations and performance management agreed with other unions that we will ask schools to adopt. This will be backed-up by a co-ordinated campaign of school-based action to support our demands.

Workload

The pressures on teachers have increased even further in many schools this term. With Ministers wanting teachers to work on until 68 or even older, the links with the pensions campaign are also clear.

We want to build as much united action as we can with other unions, notably the NASUWT who have issued advice to their members following their recent ballot. The NUT will be reissuing workload advice stressing what limits we can insist on within existing contractual rights, but also that the Union will move urgently to carry out ballots in schools where requested to protect against excessive workload.

Sixth Form Colleges

The Executive agreed to proceed with balloting NUT members in Sixth Form Colleges for strike action in opposition to the worsening of terms and conditions as a result of funding cuts to the sector.

Misuse of Temporary Contracts

The Executive agreed a motion to go to the TUC Young Members’ Conference challenging the misuse of fixed term and temporary contracts, particularly for younger staff.

Langdon School - members stand firm as support for strike strengthens

2011-12-04T08:38:00.001-08:00

LATEST UPDATE FROM THE NUT REPS:

First, the strike itself. Last week we struck on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We're really pleased to be able to tell you that two NUT members who crossed picket lines the Thursday before have rejoined the strike. An NASUWT member and an NUT ex-member both joined the union this week and immediately struck with us. We're therefore stronger this weekend than we were last, which is really not what the head had in mind when she began the strike busting operation! Hats off to the new strikers - it's a credit to them in the face of relentless bullying and intimidation from management that they're with us.

On Tuesday we welcomed several first timers on the picket lines, as well as two National Executive members. The bin lorry refused to cross the line, as did Parcel Force drivers. Our strikers' meeting for the day took place at the Newham NUT association meeting, with over 50 strikers there. Colleagues from two secondary school groups moved a motion to spread the action to other Newham schools, as we consider that as the LA are issuing contracts to strike breakers, this means that our whole branch should be in dispute. The motion passed by 90 votes to nil and will now go to the Action Committee. Members from other schools joined us for the strikers' meeting.

Wednesday's picket was shared with Unite members at school, which was closed to pupils. NUT pickets then visited two PCS picket lines and Unison pickets at the town hall, then went into London for the demonstration. We were joined by delegations from four other Newham schools and two from Waltham Forest in putting thousands of leaflets (paid for by our supporters' donations) into the London demo urging solidarity for the strike.

Thursday saw 42 of our strikers on the gates. The strikers' meeting had 55 there, concentrating on building the meeting for parents due on Friday. We also worked out a collective strategy for staff briefing on Friday morning, which has in recent weeks consisted of the NUT being pilloried. There was a discussion of how best to escalate action if we're still out next term - three days a week to keep in touch with kids and parents and disrupt the scabbing, or five days a week?

Friday's staff briefing wasn't half as demoralising as usual, with sixty NUT members standing together with notebooks taking down the head's every word... The collective response lifted morale enormously. Senior managers spent the day demanding our planners so they can set cover for the scabs to do with our classes. We spent the day standing up to them. In the evening about 80 parents attended the NUT's meeting, despite LA attempts to get us to call it off. Our branch secretary has been accused of engaging in actions which are 'not legitimate trade union activity' and had his facility time threatened - another reason for a borough wide dispute, in our view. Kevin Courtney spoke for the union. Opinion in the meeting was clearly against the head and the Chair of Governors. Many parents and two parent governors supported the strike. This is work to be developed next week.

The school is open and running (just about) on scab labour when we're out, so next week's first strikers' meeting will concentrate on strategies for picketing. Three days on strike next week. We got about a thousand pounds in donations this week, with more on the way, and began to send out speakers to other schools.

Thanks to you all. Keep the messages coming in, invite us to speak, collect for us. Above all, forward this email to your associations, divisions and members and to any other union contacts you have and use us as an example. Let's fight together.

November 30 Reports on Classroom Teacher Blog

2011-12-04T02:54:00.000-08:00

Teachers take their message to millionaire Maude in Horsham

There are lots of reports from rallies and marches posted on the Classroom Teacher blog on:

http://classroomteachers.blogspot.com/

For a great summary of our arguments against pensions robbery - and a call for further action - look for the video of Kevin Courtney's speech at the Leicester rally:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sndE9fhNEY

Court ruling leaves us no alternative but to strike again

2011-12-04T02:02:00.000-08:00

The court ruling that it is 'lawful' to go ahead with the change from RPI to CPI for the indexation of pensions is no real surprise - the courts have rarely been a friend to the trade union movement.
But this is an unjust and unfair decision that hits all pensioners, not just public scetor trade unionists. In fact, as the NUT press release below explains, the Government won't even confirm whether state pensions will even go up by the low CPI rate next year. Are they planning even bigger cuts to our poverty-level state pensions?

Commenting on today’s High Court decision regarding the Government’s decision to change pension indexation from RPI to CPI inflation, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union said:

“The NUT took part in this action because the Government’s decision was simply wrong. Cutting pensions to save money at pensioners’ expense is disgraceful and immoral.

“All three judges agreed that a substantial motivation for the switch to CPI was deficit reduction. It is disappointing that only one judge felt able to say that that was wrong. It’s also disappointing that the arguments advanced by the other unions involved were treated so dismissively. The NUT has obtained permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

“In the meantime, the Government has deliberately avoided saying whether public sector pensions will be increased even by CPI in 2012. We call on George Osborne to make his position clear immediately and tell pensioners that he is not going to impose even bigger cuts next year.”

November 30 - Lewisham NUT on the March

2011-12-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

In Lewisham, the day started early with a picket-line from 6.30 am outside Prendergast Ladywell Fields College of NUT and GMB members.

A reporter from LBC radio interviewed Fran, the school NUT rep, who explained how teachers could not work on until 68 and how education would suffer if we had to. The reporter tried to find a passer-by who was against the strikes - but couldn't find a single one! The toots from the car-horns of passing motorists made very clear the mood of the public - it's time someone stood up to this millionaire's government!

Picket lines were also mounted at several other schools - although the vast majority had been either totally or largely closed to pupils. Everyone then gathered at the Town Hall in Catford where UNISON pickets reported that the building was largely empty with very few staff reporting for work.

Then it was off to Charing Cross to meet hundreds more Lewisham staff. We walked behind the Lewisham banners - including a fantastic one from Sydenham School - up to Lincoln's Inn Fields for the start of the all-London joint union demonstration.

The square just wasn't big enough for the thousands that had gathered. It set-off at about 12.45 - and was still leaving the square two hours later. There must have been over 50,000 marching.

We marched along the Strand and down to the Embankment before listening to Christine Blower, Mark Serwotka and other speakers at the closing rally.

One banner summed up the mood of many on the day: - "Work Till You Die - Or Strike Till You Win!"

November 30: A tsunami not a 'damp squib' !

2011-11-30T23:33:00.000-08:00

November 30 was a momentous day that could prove to be a significant turning-point in the battle to defeat this Government's attacks on pensions, pay, jobs and public services.

Over 50,000 marched in London with the NUT leading the way through the streets to the rally at the Embankment. Reports from around the country describe huge turnouts in every area - over 30,000 in Manchester and 10,000 in Nottingham for example.

For a quick round-up of reports, visit http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/13257/30-11-2011/n30-millions-striking-back-at-con-dem-government

Cameron claimed the strike was a 'damp squib' - but he is only deluding himself! This was a huge show of strength bringing new trade unionists on strike across the country and linking together two million workers from many different unions in joint action.

Now we carry on until we win!

More reports and photos to follow.

Langdon dispute: Newham NUT votes 90 - 0 for borough-wide action

2011-11-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

Langdon school staff were solidly out on the picket line this morning in their ongoing dispute over workload and bullying management - a dispute now raised to new levels by the school's attempts to break the action by using supply staff to keep the school open on strike days.

It's hard to stand on a picket-line and see students going into school - even though most were very supportive to their teachers standing outside. But staff morale must have been raised by an unheard of turnout at a special Newham NUT meeting tonight. It was standing room only with 90 in attendance!

The school may have thought that it was onto an easy victory by following Tory advice to recruit supply staff directly to get round the Agency regulations (see previous post http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2011/11/union-busting-at-langdon-school-threat.html). But if they want to take on the Union, then the Union is ready to respond. As this would now turn the dispute into one with the borough who are presumably issuing the contracts to the strikebreakers, the Union can consider responding with a borough-wide ballot for action ... and that was what was agreed by tonight's Newham NUT meeting - by 90 votes to 0!

NUT members will be out in force at the London N30 pensions demonstration tomorrow to make sure that everyone there knows about their dispute - and adds their solidarity and support.

Solidarity Message from the CGT Nord - Pas de Calais

2011-11-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

Chancellor Osborne has chosen today to announce yet further limits to future pay settlements - meaning our salaries are set to fall further against prices, at the same time as he wants us to pay out more for our pensions.

He also announced that the State Retirement Age is to be 67 from 2026 - meaning that even more of us will be forced to work on until 67 or 68 in order to get our full pension.
We will give our answer in our millions tomorrow!

To help us on our way, the CGT union federation in the Nord - Pas de Calais region have sent several messages of support via SERTUC:

Message de soutien aux organisations syndicales de Grande Bretagne et à leurs adhérents.

Le Comité Régional Nord Pas de Calais vous apporte son soutien fraternel pour votre journée de grève et de manifestations du 30 Novembre 2011.

Nous soutenons les salariés en luttes pour défendre leur système de retraite et leurs services publics.

Partout en Europe, les salariés, retraités, jeunes et privés d'emploi subissent des mesures d'austérité injustes alors qu'ils ne sont en rien les responsables de la crise.

La solution pour relancer l'économie n'est pas d'attaquer les services publics, de relever l'âge de départ à la retraite, d'augmenter les cotisations sociales ni d'abaisser les pensions.
Au nom du Comité Régional, nous vous adressons tous nos voeux de succès.

Avec vous nous disons :
"Non à l'austérité !
Oui à l'emploi et aux services publics !

Recevez, Cher(e)s Camarades, nos fraternelles salutations.
Comité Régional CGT Nord Pas de Calais

Gove's lies answered by staff at his own school!

2011-11-28T09:19:00.000-08:00

The National NUT Press Release below answers the rubbish spouted by Michael Gove in his speech to the Policy Exchange this morning in an attempt to confuse and deceive the public over the November 30 strike.

But Gove's deception clearly isn't working! A BBC News Opinion Poll shows majority support for the action - despite everything that the press and politicians have been spouting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15910621

But perhaps Gove's best answer will be when he gets a letter home from his OWN children's school, St Mary Abbots in Kensington & Chelsea, where Cameron and Gove send their children. The local NUT Secretary, Kieran Parsons, reports that most teachers at the school will be striking - leaving only two classes open on Wednesday!

The emails have been coming in to all day confirming more and more schools closed to pupils by our action - along with teachers wanting to know where to join the demonstration in London - which will be enormous!

See you there!

NUT PRESS RELEASE:

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“This dispute has been created by a Government which is determined to steam roller through pension reform that will irreparably damage teachers’ pensions. The issue has united the teaching profession, as will be demonstrated on November 30. This strike has nothing to with ‘militants’ but everything to do with teachers and head teachers who do not believe the Government is being fair or reasonable.

“In talking about teachers' retirement ages, Michael Gove ignores the fact that those retiring earlier than their new pension age of 68 would face very substantial reductions in their pensions. More significantly, he ignores the fact that working to 68 simply won't be physically possible for many and is not in the interests of either pupils or teachers.

“Michael Gove also misrepresents the cost of teachers' pensions. His figures include the contributions made by teachers and their employers. The cost to the Treasury is far smaller and, as the National Audit Office has confirmed, the cost of teachers' pensions as a whole is already falling due to reforms already made.

“The Education Secretary says that the accrual rate has been improved through DfE lobbying, but what he doesn’t say is that it’s only improved on the Government’s earlier position. It isn’t an improvement on the accrual rate that teachers have on the existing pension scheme.

“Michael Gove's calculator only tells teachers how much they would get under his new scheme. The NUT's calculator tells them what Michael Gove's calculator doesn't - how much extra they will pay, how much longer they will have to work for a full pension and how much they will lose in retirement due to his new scheme.

“The NUT absolutely agrees with Michael Gove that it is not in the best interest for teachers to opt out of the pension scheme. What he clearly fails to understand is that teachers also recognise this fact. The problem lies with the Government’s proposals to make teachers pay considerably more for a pension that will be worth considerably less. No matter how the Government tries to dress up its reforms, for many this is simply not financially feasible.”

Lewisham Schools Set for Strike Action on Wednesday

2011-11-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

UPDATED: MONDAY NOVEMBER 28th: (although there's a few more last-minute additions still to add e.g Pendragon, St.Mary Magdalene and Sandhurst Infants Schools are also closed to students)

Of 75 Lewisham schools where we now have confirmed reports so far, 48 are totally closed to pupils and 25 largely closed to all but one or two classes or year groups. We still know of only 2 small schools that will apparently be largely unaffected.

Staff at six schools have reported that they will be holding picket lines from 7.30 or 8am - Christ the King Sixth Form College, Ladywell Fields, Lee Manor Primary, Sedgehill, St.Matthews Academy and Sydenham Schools. Other staff and supporters will be very welcome to visit them!

NUT members - and staff from other unions - will be gathering outside the Town Hall in Catford from 10 am or meeting Lewisham colleagues at 11.15 at Charing Cross station before going on to the start of the London demonstration in Lincolns Inn Fields at 12.00.

Schools which have reported to the Lewisham NUT Office so far are:

ABBEY MANOR COLLEGE	Totally closed
ADAMSRILL PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
ADDEY AND STANHOPE SCHOOL	Totally closed
ASHMEAD PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
ATHELNEY PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
BARING	Totally closed
BONUS PASTOR RC SECONDARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
BRENT KNOLL SCHOOL	Mainly closed
CHILDERIC PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
CHRIST THE KING SIXTH FORM COLLEGE	Mainly closed
CLYDE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRE	Totally closed
CONISBOROUGH COLLEGE	Mainly closed
COOPERS LANE	Totally closed
CROSSWAYS SIXTH FORM	Mainly closed
DALMAIN	Totally closed
DEPTFORD GREEN SCHOOL	Totally closed
DEPTFORD PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
DOWNDERRY PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
EDMUND WALLER	Totally closed
ELFRIDA PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
FAIRLAWN PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
FOREST HILL SCHOOL	Totally closed
FORSTER PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
GOOD SHEPHERD	Totally closed
GORDONBROCK PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
GREENVALE SCHOOL	Mainly closed
GRINLING GIBBONS PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
HABERDASHERS ASKES HATCHAM COLLEGE	Mainly closed
HABERDASHERS ASKES KNIGHTS ACADEMY	Mainly closed
HASELTINE	Open
HOLBEACH PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
HOLY CROSS RC PRIMARY (LEWISHAM)	Totally closed
HOLY TRINITY CE PRIMARY (LEWISHAM)	Mainly closed
HORNIMAN	Totally closed
JOHN BALL PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
JOHN STAINER PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
KELVIN GROVE PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
KENDER	Totally closed
KILMORIE PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
KNIGHTS TEMPLE GROVE	Totally closed
LEE MANOR PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
PRENDERGAST THE VALE SCHOOL	Totally closed
LUCAS VALE PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
MARVELS LANE PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
MEADOWGATE SCHOOL (LEWISHAM)	Mainly closed
MYATT GARDEN PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
NEW WOODLANDS SCHOOL	Totally closed
OLSPNeri	Open
PERRYMOUNT PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
PRENDERGAST LADYWELL FIELDS	Mainly closed
PRENDERGAST HILLYFIELDS SCHOOL	Totally closed
RANGEFIELD	Mainly closed
RATHFERN	Totally closed
RUSHEY GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
SANDHURST JUNIOR SCHOOL	Totally closed
SEDGEHILL SCHOOL	Mainly closed
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE PRIMARY	Totally closed
ST AUGUSTINES RC PRIMARY	Mainly closed
ST BARTHOLOMEW'S CE PRIMARY	Totally closed
St JAMES HATCHAM	Totally closed
ST JOHN THE BAPTIST PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
ST MARY'S LEWISHAM CE SCHOOL	Totally closed
ST MICHAELS CE PRIMARY SCHOOL	Totally closed
ST SAVIOURS RC PRIMARY (LEWISHAM)	Totally closed
ST WILLIAM OF YORK	Totally closed
ST WINIFREDS RC JUNIOR SCHOOL	Totally closed
St.MATTHEWS ACADEMY	Totally closed
STILLNESS INFANT	Mainly closed
STILLNESS JUNIOR SCHOOL	Totally closed
SYDENHAM SCHOOL	Totally closed
TIDEMILL PRIMARY SCHOOL	Mainly closed
TORRIDON INFANT SCHOOL	Totally closed
TORRIDON JUNIOR SCHOOL	Totally closed
TRINITY SCHOOL (formerly Northbrook)	Totally closed
WATERGATE SCHOOL	Totally closed

Pensions Battlebus takes 'Pensions Justice' message to the public

2011-11-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

Today, Saturday November 26th, trade unionists took to the streets of South London in their pensions 'battle bus' to take their message to the public - "Fair Pensions for All!"

Representatives from just some of the twenty-plus different trade unions taking strike action on Wednesday November 30 helped give out leaflets across the boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. ATL, NUT, PCS, UNISON, UCU members - and others - started the tour in Brixton, before going on to Streatham, Catford, Lewisham, Deptford, Peckham and Camberwell.

The photos show that we were joined by Mr Cameron with his 'swag bag' who appealed to the public for donations to his 'save the millionaires' fund. Many passers-by made very clear to the Prime Minister exactly what they thought of him! That determined message will be firmly passed on to the Government when trade union members form schools, council offices, job centres, colleges and many other South London workplaces join the millions who will be on strike across Britain to defend public sector pensions on Wednesday.

Martin Powell-Davies, Lewisham NUT Secretary said;
"We got a great response from the public. Most South Londoners understand that this Government of millionaires is trying to steal away everything that we have won in the past - whether it be pensions, jobs or public services. That's why we are determined to send a clear message to Ministers when we take strike action on November 30 to 'Stop the Pensions Robbery!' "

Hundreds of leaflets were distributed calling for 'Pensions Justice'. A local NUT leaflet explained why we were appealing to the public to support the strike action:
+ PENSION CUTS ARE BAD FOR EDUCATION
Most teachers won’t be able to do a good job at the age of 68. But we will be forced to work on while our school leavers struggle to find a job vacancy!
+ SPENDING CUTS ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE
Cuts to our jobs, pay and pensions will do nothing to help improve the economy.
+ LET’S UNITE TOGETHER AGAINST THE CUTS
Cutting our pensions won’t help save anybody else’s job or restore private pensions.
If the Government succeed, it will only encourage them to carry on cutting everything else as well. But, if we can persuade them to think again, other campaigns are more likely to win too!

* There will be picket lines at a number of workplaces on Wednesday morning. Trade unionists will then be gathering outside the Town Hall in Catford from 10am before taking the train to Charing Cross to join others assembling at 11.15 am. The Lewisham delegations will then join the main London march assembling in Lincolns Inn Fields from midday.

November 30 - if Con-Dems don't retreat, escalate the action

2011-11-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

OUR STRIKE ON 30 NOVEMBER is uniting millions of workers in a show of strength not seen in Britain for generations.

Thousands of schools will be closed to pupils as heads, teachers and support staff take action together to defend our pensions from a thieving government that wants us to pay for the chaos caused by unregulated banks and an unfettered market that puts the pursuit of proﬁt before people’s needs.

The experience will lift the confidence of public sector workers to fight on until the pensions robbery is defeated - and to move on to defeat all the other attacks being made to our pay, conditions and public services. It will also lift the confidence of workers across Britain to stand up and join us in a fight for their jobs and services too.

No wonder Ministers have been desperate to try and stop the N30 action taking place ! Having refused any meaningful negotiations for months, they hoped that they could divide and confuse us with their last-minute ‘offer’. But, steeled by the firm opposition from Left unions like the NUT and PCS, the answer from every union has been the same - ‘thanks, but no thanks’. Thanks - because even these inadequate concessions have exposed the government’s weakness in the face of united trade union opposition. No thanks - because they still want us to work longer and pay more to get less pension.

The press will do their owners’ bidding and try to turn public opinion against us. But they are not succeeding. When unions have got their message out onto the streets and at the school gates, we have found support. People recognise that money cut from our pensions wouldn’t be going to boost private-sector pensions or state benefits. No, they want to rob our pensions to pay for the bankers’ bailouts and to lower costs for the privateers buying up public services.

We need to make clear to the Con-Dems that November 30 is not just a one-off token protest. If they do not back down from their pensions robbery, we will be back with further action in January.

We can’t afford to hesitate and leave it until after Xmas to make any concrete plans. Unions must quickly announce a clear plan and dates for further joint strike action.

No trade unionist can easily afford to lose pay but trade unionists will be ready to carry on the battle - as long as they understand that their leaderships have a serious plan in place to win this struggle.

The key to victory is widespread co-ordinated national action involving as many unions as possible, applying the level of pressure that can force this government into serious negotiations.

Plans for rolling regional joint action being proposed by the NUT can certainly play a part in maintaining momentum. But it would need careful co-ordination with other trade unions to be effective.

Joint national strike action, bringing everyone together on a day - or even two days of action - remains the key strategy. Unions should certainly consider calling a 48-hour strike next term.

So let's have a huge turnout on November 30, but then let’s build for:
●    A further national strike of at least one-day as soon in 2012 as possible.
●    A programme of action co-ordinated across as many unions as possible.
●    Step up our public campaign in every town and city - ‘Fair Pensions for all!’

Uniting against the cuts

2011-11-26T01:14:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about the campaign leading up to November 30 has been to see different unions working together and the growing mood of determination to mount a joint struggle.

Today, unions are working together across South-East London to organise a pensions ‘battle bus’ around Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. On Wednesday, I spoke alongside UNITE, UNISON and GMB speakers in Merton, and the same on Thursday night at a ‘NO Cuts Cabaret’ in the Rivoli ballroom to protest against cuts to young people’s services in Lewisham.

In Lewisham, the Council made £7m of cuts to the Children and Young People’s budgets in 2011/12 – with 4.8M more to come over next two years.

One of the biggest cut to come in the next round of CYP cuts will be the £200,000 ‘saving’ in special educational needs budget. Yet, disgracefully, the Council budget papers dress up the cut as an improvement ! They claim that “the reorganisation should positively impact on the experience of parents and children”. My appeal to Labour councillors to prove that they really did have a different agenda to this Government - and demand their officers stop writing this nonsense - seemed to go down well with the audience.

As unions have warned from the start, the cuts don’t work – they just make things worse. Two of Lewisham’s 2011/12 savings have not met their targets: they put up nursery fees but haven’t got more income because there’s then been a reduced uptake of places! They also put up school meal prices – again there’s been a reduced uptake of school meals – and now a budget shortfall.

Of course, this is just a small part of a much wider picture. Cuts mean fewer people in work, fewer paying taxes, fewer spending in shops, more spent on benefits – a vicious spiral downwards we can see in Greece and elsewhere.

The money is there to spend on our services. If the £120 billion of uncollected and avoided tax identified by the PCS was collected, there would be no need for Osborne’s cuts at all. Of course, the profiteers will always try to avoid those taxes – until and unless ordinary people, communities, trade unions, control the banks and economy so that they can put people before profit.

UNION-BUSTING AT LANGDON SCHOOL – A threat to every teacher

2011-11-25T12:24:00.000-08:00

The recruitment of supply teachers to break teachers’ strike-action at the Langdon School in East Ham, Newham, yesterday appears to be an unprecedented attack on union organisation. If so, it needs to be met with a determined response to make sure that it remains an isolated case of union-busting.

Strikes in schools have usually been good-natured enough – with management recognising the right of staff to strike as part of their dispute. That will certainly be the case in thousands of schools on November 30. However, on Thursday November 24, a solid picket line of NUT members was disgusted to find that around two dozen supply staff had been recruited to break their strike. Alarmingly, the Labour-run Local Authority may have had a role in their recruitment.

Previously, the NUT and other unions have always advised that the recruitment of agency staff to carry out the work of striking staff was illegal under the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003. However, in the run-up to the November 30 joint national action, the Department of Education issued new advice on “Handling Industrial Action in Schools”. This accepted that the advice on agency staff was correct but pointed a way around the law – that “an employer can directly employ individuals to cover employees on strike. An employment agency can supply these workers as long as the employer (such as the school or Local Authority) directly employs them”.

The strike-breaking activities at the Langdon School yesterday appear to have been the first trialling of the new advice. Either the agencies have acted illegally or, as seems likely, contracts were issued for the employment of the strike-breaking staff. As Langdon is a Local Authority community school, this would suggest that these would have had to be Newham Council contracts.

The strike had taken place after ongoing talks at ACAS had broken down. These were to seek to resolve a dispute over what staff feel is excessive workload, as well as claims of management bullying. As I had written in a message of support to the NUT group, staff in too many London schools are working under intolerable pressure. School managements are encouraged to act in an oppressive manner by a government that wishes to instil a 'climate of fear' in schools, to the detriment of teachers and education as a whole.

It now appears that the school may have been busy recruiting strike-breakers while the talks were going on. One London NUT member reports getting a call from an agency based in the West Midlands to work at the school.

The agency staff may have had no idea that they were being recruited to break strike action. With the opportunities for supply work becoming harder to find, they were probably just glad of some much-needed income. But this is, of course, how ruthless employers have always used poverty to undermine the united union organisation that has the power to stand up to that poverty and oppression.

The DfE advice also means that the NUT and other school staff unions now face a threat to our ability to organise effective action. I believe that we must also respond in the way that unions have always had to respond to strike-breaking – by firm and determined action.

Newham NUT have organised an emergency union meeting next week where the way forward will be debated. Clearly an urgent publicity campaign needs to be mounted. Trade unions in London and nationally need to be notified to give support. The campaign will be taken to parents to persuade them to oppose the school’s strike-breaking activities. It is reported that many parents kept their children away from school yesterday. Newham Council also needs to make clear where they stand as well.

Strike action at Langdon School will be continuing with a three-day strike next week starting on Tuesday 29 November. But the school’s tactics have significantly raised the stakes. If the Local Authority is found to have been involved in recruiting strike-breaking staff, then this must raise the prospect of a dispute – and action – across the Local Authority.

Send messages of support to nutlangdon@aol.co.uk

Martin Powell-Davies, member of the NUT National Executive (personal capacity)

A reply to Nick Gibb

2011-11-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

With the Government panicking at the thought of millions of workers coming out on strike together next week, we should expect Ministers to turn to their ‘dirty-tricks’ department to try (but fail !) to undermine our action.

However, whether Data Protection legislation allows Nick Gibb MP, “Minister of State for Schools” to send today’s unsolicited and misleading email to thousands of teachers’ personal emails addresses, is still being investigated.

Obviously hurt by the effect of the National NUT’s pensions loss calculator, the email suggests teachers visit the DfE’s website to use their pensions calculator instead! But the DfE calculator doesn’t show you how much a teacher stands to lose from the pensions robbery! It also uses some debatable projections for ‘career averages’.

The email does have to admit that there are three things that are set to change:

“A rebalancing of employee and employer contributions” – i.e PAY MORE!
A move from a ‘final salary’ to a ‘career average’ pension – i.e. GET LESS!
“A phased increase to teachers' Normal Pension Age” – i.e RETIRE OLDER!

In other words, cutting through the distortion – it is indeed PENSIONS ROBBERY!

My colleague on the NUT Executive for Inner London, Alex Kenny, has produced this model email to be sent in reply to Nick Gibb:

Mr Nick Gibb MP

House of Commons

London SW1 1AA

gibbn@parliament.uk

Changes to the Teacher Pension Scheme

Dear Mr Gibb,

Thank you for your correspondence, the contents of which are noted.

I note that the Department’s Pensions Calculator does not make a comparison with the pension I would get under the current scheme; my union’s calculator does exactly this and I am shocked by how much I stand to lose.

Research carried out by my union shows that, since the Teacher Pension Scheme was established in 1923, more money has been paid into it than has been paid out. The excess figure is more than £46bn.

This would seem to show that our pension scheme is affordable and sustainable in the long-term, especially as the National Audit Office tells me the costs are falling as planned.

Having made these points, I will let you have my answer in full on Wednesday November 30^th.

With best wishes,

Solid support for action on November 30

2011-11-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

Our ring-round of school reps in Lewisham is showing an excellent response from NUT members to the strike-call for November 30.

As usual, the memnbership in bigger schools is solid but the two emails below also show the level of determination in smaller Voluntary-Aided primary schools as well:

Our school will be closed. Everyone except one teacher has opted for strike action. As a matter of principle we have to stand together. I am proud that our members opted for it even though some were wary about the money they would lose.
Please mention the sacrifice that a lot of the mostly female/young teachers made. Three of the teachers at my school are mums and only work 3 or 4 days. Three other teachers are young ones in their first or second year of teaching, one of them due on maternity leave, so on lower salaries. I know we are fighting mainly for their future but it will be encouraging for them to be acknowledged.

and

Hi Martin, The Head said we must all tell her what we are doing on N30 by today. So we all did, to tell her we are all out! The Head then sent a letter home to parents and told them we are all out!

Capitalism in crisis - defending education across the globe

2011-11-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

In the post-war boom, governments agreed that well-funded comprehensive education was a price worth paying to create an educated workforce. Now, across the globe, they want to turn the clock back and steal away all the gains won by the trade union movement.

In Britain, tuition fees and EMA cuts are robbing working-class children of the chance of further and higher education. The same policy of cutbacks is seen the world over - but so is the angry response from workers and youth.

“Students have been demonstrating now for five months, demanding free education for all” (Celso - CWI in Chile)

While the heroic struggle of the Greek workers continues, the EU financiers are determined to force through yet more cuts. Public sector salaries have already been cut in half. 30% of hospital beds have been axed. Similar attacks are also being carried out in Italy, Spain, Ireland and elsewhere. The same future awaits us in Britain if we allow the Con-Dems to defeat us.

“Children approach their teachers to complain they are hungry, some even faint in class” (Andros - CWI in Athens)

These vicious cuts create misery - but bring nothing but more cuts. The Greek economy has been pushed into even deeper recession as people are pushed further into poverty and joblessness.

“ The dictatorship of the markets has become a practical reality in Italy and Greece with the imposition of technocrats as Prime Minister in each country. I argue that this should be met with a European-wide general strike” (Paul Murphy MEP - CWI in Ireland)

The neo-liberal attacks on education such as the Free Schools in Sweden and Charter Schools in the US have been shown to widen segregation and depress educational outcomes overall. But, instead of blaming themselves, capitalist politicians seek to scapegoat teachers and their trade unions instead.

“Swedish schools have become more segregated, with free schools having more unqualified teachers. The working conditions of all teachers have deteriorated” (Sigbritt - CWI in Sweden)

The PCS civil service union has already proposed an immediate alternative to Osborne’s £81 billion worth of cuts over four years. It demands the collection of the massive £120 billion unpaid tax of big business which, if implemented, would render the cuts completely unnecessary. The Socialist Party and the whole movement support this demand.

“The education deformers want to make teachers scapegoats for the problems in society” (Tom - CWI in USA)

However, the laudable attempts to close and eliminate the ‘wealth gap’ are likely to be stillborn under capitalism. We support a ‘Robin Hood tax’ on the transactions of big business. But history shows that the capitalists always find a million and one ways to circumvent any law which seeks to claw back some of the wealth and eats into their profits.

The only way to prevent this is through the nationalisation of the banks and finance houses. Similarly, the ‘dictatorship of the market’, which is holding the whole of Europe to ransom, should be met with the cancellation of the debt to the bond parasites. This in turn could only succeed if nationalisation was carried through not just in one country but on an international basis.

Brutal capitalism is demonstrating daily the blind alley which this system is in and is preparing the ground for millions to search for an alternative. It is incapable of satisfying human requirements in today’s world. Socialism is the idea which will dominate the 21st-century.

The CWI is the 'Committee for a Workers’ International', the international body to which the Socilaist Party is affiliated and of which I am proud to be a member. The CWI is organised in 45 countries. To read reports from struggles across the globe, visit:
www.socialistworld.net

Action 'with a halo' has to be action with a bite

2011-11-22T14:56:00.000-08:00

I have consistently argued that unions need to organise national action on workload. The threat to worsen the capability, observation and performance mangement arrangements means such a campaign is vital.

The NUT is discussing launching a national dispute to ensure that schools adopt acceptable performance management and classroom observation policies. This must be implemented.

The NASUWT national ballot already includes workload and conditions issues alongside the pensions dispute. However, it isn’t yet clear what the proposed ‘work-to-rule’ will mean in practice. ‘Action with a halo’ makes a good sound-bite but will be of little use if it really means ‘action with no bite’.

Joint union meetings should agree united workload sanctions - calling for ballots of NUT members if necessary. However, strike action remains the clearest and most effective strategy.

The NASUWT leadership also needs to make clear that it is serious about standing firm with other unions to win the pensions dispute, rather than trying to fight separately over workload. These attacks are too serious to spend time on petty rivalries. Teachers know we need to act together. The November 30 action will lift our confidence to do exactly that.

Will you still feed me, when I'm 68?

2011-11-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

This is all Lewisham NUT member Karen Parkinson's work (inspired by her Saturday pensions stall - see below) - but I thought it worth sharing:

When I get older losing my hair, not many years from now,

Will you still be asking me to cover a class, take a playground duty, mark assessment tasks?

When being observed to get a Grade A, will I have to demonstrate in PE?

Will you still need me, will you still pay to feed me, even with my dodgy knee?

One day you’ll be 68 too,

And if you say the word, we could meet up in the dole queue

I could be handy supporting new staff, experienced member of the team,

But will you still be asking me to mark loads of books, stay late for meetings and jump through hoops?

When being monitored to get a grade A, I must keep up with APP,

Will you still need me, will you still pay to feed me, when I‘m tired and niggardly?

I’m working all hours God sends me now, how can I give you more?

Take is all you seem to do to you don’t respect me, it’s working with the children gives me sanity,

When we get called we’ll try to jump and salute, in preparation for the big O!

Will you still need me, will you still pay to feed me, or will I have to go?

Public support for November 30 strike

2011-11-20T01:55:00.000-08:00

NUT and PCS members took to Lewisham High Street yesterday to give out leaflets and explain our case for 'fair pensions for all'. Far from being criticised by the public, as perhaps some teachers still fear might be the case, the response was, as was the case back in June, overwhelmingly supportive. This time, of course, many of the 'public' will be on strike to defend their pensions too !

Karen Parkinson, Lewisham NUT Young Teachers Officer texted me at the CASE Conference to say "Halved the leaflets, well received by the public, lots on strike with us!"

If you want to read a copy of the parents' leaflet we've produced, go to the Lewisham NUT website: http://local.teachers.org.uk/lewisham/news/Pensions.cfm

Anti-Academies - Fighting Gove's Schools Counter-Revolution

2011-11-20T01:46:00.000-08:00

A packed Conference hosted by the Campaign for State Education in London yesterday heard an excellent range of contributions setting out the key arguments to combat Michael Gove's attempts to rip apart comprehensive local authority schooling. It's now vital that trade unionists and campaigners use those facts and ideas to build against academies and free schools in every community.

Melissa Benn called on Ed Milliband to stop being ashamed of the 'c-word' and visit Alberta in Canada to see how comprehensive education succeeds. (see my review of her 'School Wars' book below

http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2011/10/school-wars-by-melissa-benn-review.html).

But it was Clyde Chitty who gently chided Melissa for expecting New Labour to seriously oppose the Con-Dem's attacks. After all, he explained, Blair had outrageously described comprehensive education as 'academic vandalism' in his autobiography. Gove was merely taking New Labour's 'reforms' to their logical conclusion.

Contributing briefly from the floor, I took the opportunity to place these attacks in their economic context and to remind the meeting of the civil servant quoted in Clyde Chitty's 1997 book explaining that, once the post-war boom was over, we had to again educate children to 'know their place'. I asked whether trade unionists and anti-privatisation campaigners shouldn't now be standing independently in elections just like the independent labour candidates who stood in the School Board elections referred to in Melissa Benn's book? For the generally older audience at this conference, many of whom from a Labour Party tradition, the suggestion that we can no longer rely on Labour, whose leadership are firmly wedded to the neo-liberal agenda of cuts and privatisation, is still hard to accept. However, it is a break that I believe they will have to take.

Other contributors added important information. Barrister David Wolfe explained how each Academy is established under a different 'Funding Agreement', written without scrutiny as a contract with the Secretary of State - the one school 'GOVE-erner' as another contributor put it. Christine Blower from the NUT outlined the international evidence from Sweden and the USA exposing how privatisation leads to worse results and increasing segregation and class polarisation between schools.

Professor Stephen Ball exposed the big edu-businesses taking hold of education in Britain and internationally but it was a reference from Martin Johnson from the ATL that summed-up the money-grabbing attitude of these vultures. Martin quoted from a letter released to the Stock Exchange last week from Wey Education plc, a company headed by Zenna Atkins, ex-Chair of Ofsted. The words speak for themselves:

‘The Company will concentrate on becoming a leading education company focusing on providing a single solution to schools. Wey is responding to the English market opportunity brought about by the transfer of state-run schools to independent charitable entities and the deconstruction of the education function within local authorities. Within the 53 billion pound English education system, the standards achieved by pupils and the rounded quality of the education they receive need to be significantly improved. Additionally the evidential efficiencies that can be made in the operation of schools combine to make a clear opportunity to make a substantial return to investors and improve education in the UK.’ http://www.plus-sx.com/newsItem.html;jsessionid=892A1DFA509EAFD196F7D34A7527718F?newsId=1403538

But you can only make a 'substantial return to investors' at the expense of pupils' education and staff pay and conditions. We have to expose these vultures and Gove's real intentions and fight to defend, and extend, genuine comprehensive education for all.

November 30: Questions and Answers about Taking Strike Action

2011-11-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

Have you got a query about taking action on November 30?

For 10 facts that answer the Government's false claims, go to http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2011/11/pensions-10-facts-government-dont-want.html

For questions about the strike itself, hopefully all the points below, posted on the Lewisham NUT website, can give you the answers you need:

All of these links open documents in Microsoft Word:

1 - why are we taking action again on November 30

2 - what do we tell the Head about November 30 ?

3 - who is being called on to take strike action ?

4 - can non-members join the strike ?

5 - can I strike if I didn't vote in the ballot ?

6 - do NUT members HAVE to strike ?

7 - what about supply teachers ?

8 - can I get in trouble for taking strike action ?

9- Maternity Pay and Strike Action

10 - should schools close to pupils on November 30 ?

11 - Picket Lines

12 - what do I do when I take strike action ?

13 - what if my school has a trip planned for November 30 ?

14 - how much pay will I lose for a day's strike ?

15 - why retiring teachers CAN take strike action

NUT Executive builds for November 30 - and beyond

2011-11-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

A special meeting of the NUT Executive this afternoon was given a list - a growing list - of all the unions declaring for action on November 30:
NUT
ATL
UCU
PCS
FDA
PROSPECT
UNISON
UNITE

GMB

UCAC
EIS
UCATT
AEP
ASPECT
NAHT
CSP
ScOR

With NAPO and the NASUWT soon to declare as well, no wonder the Government is worrying at the effect of millions of trade unionists taking action together to defend their pensions and to stand up to the Government's cuts. The PCS website lists even more - with a total of 28 unions taking action !

One of the latest ballot results to be declared was from NUT members employed in local authority support and advisory services who are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). They gave a resounding endorsement for strike action to defend their pensions with 82.2% of NUT members voting in favour of strike action with a turnout of 40.6%. They join NUT members in schools and colleges who have already taken strike action on 30 June.

The Union's recent electronic survey of members had also confirmed the overwhelming support of NUT members for the Union's campaign:

98% agreed that teachers shouldn't be expected to work to age 68 to get a full pension;
97% agreed that it was unfair to be told we should pay 50% more for our pension; and,
98% agreed that the Government's offer does not go far enough to settle the pensions dispute.

The Government are starting to wobble - but we are going to keep applying the pressure. The Executive agreed that we should talk to other unions and the TUC about a programme of action for next term including rolling strikes and other possible action. I proposed an amendment, that was unanimously supported, also stressing that, as part of that programme, we should consider "at least a further day of national action in the Spring Term".

Organising for a tremendous turnout on November 30

2011-11-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

I was in deepest Deptford at my own Lewisham NUT Pensions Briefing last night then in a countryside pub for Bedfordshire NUT’s meeting tonight. Two very different venues but one very determined and unified message – we’re striking together to defend our pensions!

Both meetings showed that members had not been taken in by the Government’s minimal ‘offer’. But their manoeuvring has raised trade unionists’ confidence that Cameron, Gove and Maude are having to take notice and that we can force them to retreat much further.

The number of unions declaring for action continues to grow. Radiographers, physiotherapists and further civil service unions are just the latest to add their forces to the millions preparing for action on November 30.

The Bedfordshire meeting was also addressed by a local GMB schools’ officer who, while awaiting their ballot result announcement, confidently said that he was yet to talk to a GMB support staff member who was not going to join the strike. He also pointed out that, while many classroom assistants are on low part-time and/or term-time only wages, they will still be hit by big contribution increases because the contribution rates are based on full-time equivalent annual rates of pay.

There’s a lot of hard work to be done over the next two weeks explaining, encouraging and answering the lies that will be circulated by Ministers and some Council Officers to try and undermine our action. But if these meetings are anything to go by, they won’t succeed in stopping unions uniting in an overwhelming show of strength on November 30.

Pensions: 10 facts the Government don’t want to tell you:

2011-11-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

1. Unions negotiated and agreed the changes to pensions that were introduced in 2007:
The last Government also wanted to make big cuts to public sector pensions - the threat of strike action forced them to retreat. This Government will have to do the same.

2. The 2007 changes were properly costed - but this Government refuses to do a valuation:
Why are they scared of the facts? Probably because if a valuation was done, it would show that Ministers are wrong to claim our pensions are ‘unaffordable’. Instead, it would confirm that the cost of pensions is set to fall - just as the Government’s own National Audit Office suggests:
“The 2007-08 changes are likely to reduce costs to taxpayers of the pension schemes by £67 billion over 50 years” (NAO)

3. Teachers have paid £46bn more money into the Pension Scheme than has been paid out:
Far from being a burden to the taxpayer, NUT researchers suggest that the Teachers Pension Scheme has actually helped to fund Government expenditure! Adjusting for today’s prices, they estimate that a staggering £46 billion more was paid into the scheme than has been paid out!

4. Cameron’s claims in Parliament exaggerate their pensions ‘offer’ and mislead the public:
Ministers gave an example in Parliament that suggested that a teacher would be better off under their proposals! But they were comparing what a teacher would get at 68 under their scheme with what they would get at 60 now!
Of course, if a teacher struggled on to 68 they would have paid through the nose for any bigger pension with eight more years of increased contributions. But, if they chose to go at 60, the Government would make an ‘actuarial reduction’ that robbed them of their pension entitlements. Instead of getting £1000s more, they’d get £1000s less.
“That teacher retiring at age 60 under the new arrangements would receive a pension of £13,800 - a loss of £5,300 per year compared with £19,100 under the current scheme” (NUT)

5. They want our pension ages to be OVER 68:
Most teachers will face an impossible choice - retire ‘early’ and give up £1000s of their hard-earned pension or try to work on in an exhausting school environment ‘til 67 or 68. They might have to work on even longer. The Government wants to raise state pension ages even further than that!

6. The change from RPI to to CPI is just a crude cut - it isn’t supported by statisticians:
The Government wants to switch to CPI for just one simple reason - it costs less. They can save money at the expense of all those needing to live on pensions and benefits.
“We do not feel CPI serves the purpose of being a sufficiently good measure of price inflation as experienced by households” (Royal Statistical Society)

7. There’s a real pensions scandal in the UK - but cutting teachers’ pensions won’t solve it:
Only one in three private sector workers is now a member of an employer-sponsored pension scheme; in Europe, only Cyprus, Latvia and Estonia have higher levels of pensioner poverty. But the Government aren’t cutting public sector pensions to pay for increased state pensions! No, they want a ‘race to the bottom’ for all of us.

8. While we have to pay more, they want employers to pay less into the pension funds:While teachers’ contributions are increased, the new ‘offer’ is based on cutting the level of employers’ contributions.

9. They’re cutting our pensions to help big businesses privatise our services:
“Labour has accused the government of using its public sector pension reforms to "soften up" the cost base of schools, hospitals and other public services and pave the way for a programme of mass privatisation” (The Guardian 5.7.11).

10. There is enough money in society to have fair pensions for all - that’s what we fight for:
A quarter of all tax relief on pensions, over £10bn a year, goes to the richest 1% in the country. These are the same individuals who have seen their bonuses and incomes rocket while the rest of us are told to accept cuts.
Teachers and other public-sector workers don’t need lectures from this government of millionaires about ‘pensions justice’. We will strike to defend our pensions - and strengthen the campaign for fair pensions for all.

Government makes £46 billion profit out of teachers' pensions!

2011-11-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

Report from the November 10 meeting of the NUT Executive:

November's NUT Executive meeting endorsed the steps being taken by the Union to build up to November 30 - in what will be the biggest day of strike action in living memory.

We should take that action confident in the knowledge that our campaign - including the strike on June 30 and the lobby on October 26 - is beginning to shift the Government.

Their new ‘offer’ to unions, followed by Maude’s silly suggestion of a ‘15-minute’ strike, all show that they are worried about the effect on public consciousness of millions of us taking strike action on November 30. Far from agreeing to back-off as Maude suggests, when our opponent starts to wobble, that’s the time we need to push our hardest!

Their new proposals are a welcome sign of movement but, as will be explained in other union materials, nowhere near good enough. They still mean teachers will have to pay more, to get less pension and, for all but a few of us, to retire older. They still represent an unjust tax on public sector workers - not to pay for pensions but for the Government’s debts.

In fact, the Executive were given first sight of NUT research that has gone back to the start of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme in 1923 and compared what’s been paid in by teachers to what’s been paid out. Adjusting for today’s prices, it shows that the UK government has made a staggering £46.4 billion surplus out of teachers’ pension contributions !!

The Executive welcomed the excellent 76% YES vote for strike action by the NAHT, which was just one more indication of the growing support for joint action. Now we have to work hard to encourage and explain to all teacher and support staff colleagues, in all the many unions who will be covered by strike ballots, why we all need to take strike action together:

COUNTDOWN TO N30:

Complete the NUT Survey on the new ‘offer’ - look for an email from the National Union.
Visit the NUT website for all the latest news including the updated pensions loss calculator: www.teachers.org.uk/pensions
Help get our message to the public - many local NUT Associations will be organising meetings and stalls - please help if you can.
Call a school NUT meeting - or joint meeting - to get everyone ready for November 30.
Inform your Head and ask them to send a letter to parents saying the school will be closed so that staff can defend pensions.
Make plans for the day … unions may be arranging local assembly points and events before we all meet for the all-London March. Assemble: 12 noon, Lincolns Inn Fields, London WC1, (Holborn tube station).

NUT Executive news in brief:
Rep of the Year Awards - have you got an outstanding school rep or officer in your division? Why not nominate them for the NUT awards - see details in the latest issue of ‘The Teacher’.
Sixth Form Colleges ballot - the Executive agreed to proceed with a national ballot of 6FC members in our campaign against the pay freeze and funding cuts facing members in this sector.
SEN Green Paper - the Executive agreed a motion for Conference warning how giving funds directly to parents for SEN is a mechanism to encourage privatisation and will mean big cuts in services.
Maximum Classroom Temperature - we are working with other unions to demand a legal limit.
Attacks on Employment Rights - the Government is threatening to weaken TUPE and double to two years the time you have to be employed before you can pursue a claim for unfair dismissal.
London NUT - United Left - A number of NUT officers - including Alex Kenny and I - have been making plans to bring together everyone who wants to build the union’s campaigns in a London ‘United Left’. Look out for news of our first meeting, planned for December, which we will be calling around the vital question - “What next after November 30?”

Don't let the Cookie Monster eat your pension!

2011-11-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

There was a spirited and confident mood at today's SERTUC Conference in TUC Congress House called to mobilise for the November 30 strike action. Contributions were made from right across the public sector - including the non-TUC affiliated NAHT ... read on for the cookie monster!

Francis Maude's suggestion of a '15 minute' strike was treated with the derision it deserved by many speakers. Yet it again reveals that Ministers are fearful of November 30 - and how a mass strike can lift the confidence and determination of trade unionists and the wider community to stand up against the cuts.

If any public sector workers have been taken in by Maude, we have to make clear that there is no pain-free way to persuading this government of millionaires to retreat. They are not going to offer anything significant in 'negotiations' unless they know they face the threat of continuing and escalating strike action. The best way to persuade them to back-down is to have the biggest and boldest turnout on November 30 that we can get.

So what about the Cookie Monster? That came from the rousing closing speech from Leo W Gerard, International President of the United Steel Workers of America, explaining why private sector workers mustn't be taken in by the media propaganda aiming to turn them against the N30 strikes. As Leo put it:

"There were 12 cookies on a plate. A banker came in the room and pocketed ten of them. 'Watch out' he says to the private sector worker - those public sector unions are trying to steal your cookie" !!

Let's make Maude choke on his coffee on November 30 - let's make it a day to remember, and a day that the Tories would prefer to forget!

Don't let them turn the clock back on our pensions and services!

2011-11-09T15:13:00.000-08:00

“I am a worn-out head teacher of a mixed school of 170 children. I have taught continuously for forty years. My work is now anything but efficient – brightness and energy have utterly vanished and the children suffer. Teaching and managing children is one long nervous strain and the great desire is to get to the week-end … I would retire tomorrow if I could supplement my savings by a retirement pension” .

Those words quoted from the latest Teacher magazine would ring true with many teachers – but they were written 100 years ago! In the century since, we have won the right to retire with a decent pension at 60 – not to mention free comprehensive education and all the other gains won by the trade union movement.

Yet the Tories want to turn the clock back; to take away all we’ve won; to steal away our pensions and public services. We mustn’t let them!

That was the message that I sought to drive home at a well-attended public meeting organised by Southwark Trades Council tonight. I was part of a joint platform of speakers from the UCU, NUT, UNISON and PCS – all preparing together for national strike action on November 30.

As Chris Baugh from the PCS put it, we’re facing the greatest Government deception since they told us there were Weapons of Mass Destruction – it’s just not true that our pensions are unaffordable. Every speaker stressed how we have to get the message out to our members over the next three weeks to answer the lies, to explain and encourage why we need to strike together.

The meeting ended on a confident note. The Government’s pathetic ‘offer’ has revealed the weakness of our adversary. So now is the time to push ahead and come out in our millions on November 30!

Discussing a socialist education policy

2011-11-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

Like many others who have been at 'Socialism 2011' this weekend, I have returned home enthused by the discussion and debate at this annual event hosted by the Socialist Party in London.

I had the opportunity to lead the discussion on 'Comprehensive Education Under Attack' - which had a great turnout - with literally not a spare seat in the room - ranging from retired teachers to young unemployed Jarrow marchers.

There were some important contributions made, including a report from Ipswich where it seems a new Academy run by a Swedish edu-business has already told staff that the TUPE-transferred sickness arrangements are being scrapped and a report from a student teacher who talked of the marked contrast between the experiences that students are bringing back from their school placements.

Those students that are returning from community schools report the usual life and energy in a London comprehensive. But those returning from Academies often talk of a grim regimented atmosphere with one reporting students having to chant a 'mantra' every morning before lessons. This is, of course, exactly what Melissa Benn discusses in her book 'School Wars' (see post in October 2011 for my review of the book http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2011/10/school-wars-by-melissa-benn-review.html ).

If anyone is interested in a copy of the handout that I produced for the session, do send me an email.

Prepare for Nov 30: Come to the SERTUC Mobilising Conference on November 12

2011-11-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

The news of the UNISON ballot result - with almost 80% of Unison members who voted saying yes to strike action, clearly shows the growing momentum towards November 30. Today's announcement of an 82% YES vote, on a 54% turnout, from Scottish teachers in the EiS also augurs well for the results of other ballots that are yet to be announced.

The Government's attempts to cut across the threat of mass co-ordinated strike action with their new 'offer' has not succeeded as they might have hoped. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka, summed it up when he said "Any new offer is always welcome but the latest concessions are only marginal and would still force public servants to pay more in and work longer for less in retirement...It should be remembered that this latest offer was only wrung out of ministers by the threat of mass industrial action on 30 November, and following our successful strike with other unions in June. We will look at the details to see how they affect our members, but we continue our plans to make 30 November the biggest strike we have ever seen."

It is now vital that we bring as many different unions together in joint activities in preparation for November 30. The SERTUC 'Mobilising Conference' on November 12 can help do exactly that.

As you will see below, there will be speakers from ATL, BARAC, CSP, FBU, GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NUT, PCS, Prospect, TUC, UCU, UNISON, UNITE and Trades Councils. A substantial part of the day will be devoted to workshops so participants will have a good opportunity to contribute to active debates. There will be a rousing closing address from a guest speaker from the USA, Leo Gerard, President of the United Steelworker’s Union.

Date: Saturday 12 November 2011, 10am - 4pm
Venue: Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS

Follow the link below to register.

http://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial/tuc-20161-f0.cfm?regional=7

Draft Programme

10.00 to 10.45            Registration (tea and coffee provided)

10.45 to 11.00            Welcome to Delegates   Martin Gould, SERTUC President

11.00 to 12.00             Opening Session - key note speakers

Guest Speaker: Breaking the myth that the cuts are necessary and the alternative programme for growth Paul Nowak, TUC

Defending the NHS; cuts, mutualisation and privatisation Glyn Hawker UNISON

Fair Pensions for All:   Alex Kenny, NUT

Uniting the private and public sectors to oppose the cuts Pete Kavanagh, UNITE

Broadening the alliance to defend public services Noel Glover, Regional Officer
National Association of Head Teachers

12.00 to 13.00             Workshops to discuss key issues affecting each sector

1.   Health

Speakers: Gail Cartmail, UNITE, Claire Sullivan, CSP, Sian Rabi-Laleh, UNISON

2. Education

Speakers: Jean Roberts, ATL, Chris Lines, NASUWT

3. Local Government

Speakers: Richard Ascough, GMB, Heather Wakefield, UNISON

4. Rest of public sector, including civil service and fire service

Speakers: Ian Leahair, FBU, John McInally, PCS

13.00 to 13.30           Lunch (sandwich buffet and soft drinks provided)

13.30 to 14.00           Workshop report-back and discussion

14.00 to 15.10           Forums: Campaigning at Work and in Communities

1. Local Government Disputes – lessons to be learned

Lessons for unions from the Southampton Dispute
John Rowse, UNITE
Lessons for unions from the Barnet dispute
Magi Ferncombe, UNISON

2. Anti-cuts activities in the community

Roger Mackay, Ipswich TC, Gawain Little, Oxford and District TC

3. The impact of the cuts on equalities agendas

Scarlet Harris TUC, Lee Jasper, BARAC
Sean McGovern, TUC National Disabled Workers Committee

4. The dangers of privatisation and mutualisation

Simon Watson, UNISON, Dave Allen, Prospect, John McInally, PCS

15.10 to 15.40           Open session feedback from forums

15.40 to 16.00           Closing plenary speakers

SERTUC – Megan Dobney

Leo W. Gerard, President, Union of Steelworkers, USA

16.00                         Close of Conference

Pensions talks - updated statement for Lewisham NUT members

2011-11-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

The following statement, an edited version of my blog post from yesterday, has been circulated to every Lewisham NUT member today:

Pension talks: Opponent wavers, now's the time to push ahead with action!

Yesterday’s ‘pensions offer’ from the Government shows that our campaigning and the threat of the 30 November strike is having an effect! I will attend an NUT Executive meeting on November 10 and will be able to report back to our Lewisham NUT Pensions Briefing on November 14 with the latest news.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, speaking on behalf of all unions, announced after the talks that the planned strike action on 30 November is still going ahead as things stand: "All of our unions acknowledge that they've made a material move in their position. But we're a long way from a position where we've got offers on the table that might prove acceptable".

What’s clear from yesterday is that the Government is being forced to propose some concessions. With our opponent wavering, now we have to drive ahead with the biggest and strongest action on 30 November - and certainly not take a step back.

However, the concession that they've made so far appears to be minor. In summary:

* It's still 'pay more' - so still a massive pay cut while we suffer a pay freeze and inflation rockets. Teachers will have to pay around 10% of their salaries into pensions - compared to 6.4% now. That's could be around a £150 a month pay cut! Over 50’s have NOT been protected from these increases – we all have to pay more.

* It's still 'get less' – because pensions will be reduced by using career averages and switching to the lower CPI inflation index. For some technicalities, read on: Danny Alexander has told MPs that the 'offer' includes accrual rates of 1/60 - but that's exactly the same rate as already applies in the existing scheme for new entrants - so that's no improvement. It also wouldn’t include the lump-sum that applies to the older 1/80 scheme – so most other teachers will be worse off too. In particular, if your new pension age is 67 or 68 and you decide you can’t work that long, retiring at say 61 or 62 will count as 'early' retirement and you'll get far less - it's roughly a 5% actuarial clawback for each year you retire below your new pension age.

* It's still 'retire older' - unless - and this seems the only real concession, you're over 50, in which case, it seems you would still be allowed to take your pension based on the current scheme without reduction at 60. However, you would still have to pay 50% higher contributions and face a 15% reduction in your pension pot after retirement because of the switch to CPI. The concession isn’t as generous as it sounds because the pension we had already 'banked' before any new pension changes come in was always going to be protected - so this will only be a few years extra protection for teachers already close to retirement. But the Government hopes they can split older from younger teachers with their ‘offer’ - we mustn't allow that to happen.

The Treasury has made no real concession - it's still getting away with cutting the cost of public sector pensions while we pay more to get less. It’s still the same old lies about 'unaffordable' pensions, without any proper valuation to back up their assertions. It's the same old propaganda that we should accept cuts and just be grateful that we're not as badly off as private sector colleagues who have had their pensions stolen off them already.

But the Government may have done us a favour by making their weakness clear. I know some of you have been wondering ‘is there any the point in striking, this government never retreats', because, up to now, there's been little concrete movement to point to. Now there is. But they will need to retreat a lot further than this for us to end our action!

London March and Rally for N30 confirmed:

2011-11-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

Please pass on the news:

The arrangements for the joint union march and rally on November 30th in London have now been confirmed:

Assemble 12 noon at Lincolns Inn Fields - march to open air rally on Victoria Embankment (stage will be set up close to Westminster Bridge).

The poster below is for the rally in Halifax but the artwork's great!:

PENSIONS TALKS: Opponent wavers - now's the time to push ahead with action!

2011-11-02T06:50:00.001-07:00

The full details of the supposed 'pensions offer' to unions are still to become clear but the conclusion that we have to drive home is that our campaigning and the threat of Nov 30 IS having an effect!

The Government is being forced to offer some concessions. With our opponent wavering, now we have to drive ahead with the biggest and strongest action on November 30 - and certainly not take a step back.

However, the concession that they've made so far appears to be minimal. From what the press have said:
* It's still 'pay more' - so still a massive pay cut while we suffer a pay freeze and inflation rockets.
* It's still 'get less' - with career averages and CPI. Even with slight changes to accrual rates (* see update below), Cameron's claim in Parliament just now, that a teacher will get more when they retire than they would under the existing scheme, just doesn't add up. Mind, of course, after eight years extra contributions, you'd hope to get paid some more when you eventually retire! (but if you can't make it until you're 67 or 68 it will count as 'early' retirement and you'll get far less - it's roughly a 5% actuarial clawback for each year below your new pension age.)
* It's still 'retire older' - unless - and this seems the only concession, you're over 50 or so, in which case, it seems you'd still be allowed to take your pension without reduction at 60. However, this is the cheapest possible concession, because the pension workers had already 'banked' before any new pension changes come in was always going to be protected - so this will only be a few years extra protection for workers already close to retirement.

It also seems to be the same old lies about 'unaffordable' pensions, without any proper valuation to back up their assertions. It's the same old propaganda that we should accept cuts and just be grateful that we're not as badly off as private sector colleagues who have had their pensions stolen off them already.

Brendan Barber wouldn't be drawn on the TV as to whether unions felt these were 'significant' concessions - because they aren't - and we should make it very clear that they're not. Let's hope all unions see it the same way ( ** see UPDATE 2 below).

Cameron and Alexander may have done us a favour. For now, when members have asked their reps 'but what's the point in striking, this Government never retreats', there's been little concrete movement to point to. Now there is. But they'll need to retreat a lot further than this for us to end our campaign of discontinuous action!

* UPDATE: Danny Alexander has told MPs that the 'offer' includes accrual rates of 1/60 - but that's exactly the same rate as already applies in the existing scheme for new entrants - so that's no real improvement. For older teachers who are presently on a worse accrual rate of 1/80 but who also get a lump-sum on retirement as well, the 1/60 'offer' - as it comes with no lump-sum - looks to be a be a worsening of their pension, not an improvement at all.

Danny Alexander has also said that the 'offer' includes a higher 'cost-ceiling' - i.e. a greater overall budget for the scheme (to pay for the ten-year protection largely). However, their original cost-ceiling was set so low that they were actually hoping to cut the employers' contribution towards pensions.

This slight concession might only mean that the employers will still pay in their existing 14.1% of salary costs after all - although they might still be making a small saving at our expense. Of course, teachers will have to pay around 10% - compared to 6.4% now. For me (and many other colleagues!) that's a £150 a month pay cut!

If this is the case, of course, the Treasury has made no real concession - it's still getting away with cutting the cost to the Government of public sector pensions while we pay more to get less.

** UPDATE 2: I'm pleased to read that TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has just reported that the planned strike action on November 30 is still going ahead as things stand:
"All of our unions acknowledge that they've made a material move in their position. But we're a long way from a position where we've got offers on the table that might prove acceptable" http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/02/idUSL5E7M22MA20111102
See statement on the TUC website: http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-20238-f0.cfm

Luton welcomes the Jarrow Marchers

2011-11-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you go to a meeting that really lifts your spirits - last night's Luton Trades Council public meeting was certainly one of those.

It was called to welcome the Jarrow Marchers who have now reached Luton on their way to the closing rally in Trafalgar Square on Saturday. They spoke with determination and humour about the tremendous reception they have had on their way south from Jarrow.

I spoke alongside speakers from UNITE and PCS about the battle against cuts, workload and the preparation for a massive show of strength on November 30.

Packed and lively meetings like this are starting to discuss the 'big questions' openly again - not just about the next campaign or action, but about how to stand up to the '1%' that makes its wealth by robbery from the '99%' - and how we can organise to change this capitalist society that offers only a future of poverty and crisis.

School Wars by Melissa Benn - A Review

2011-10-30T04:25:00.000-07:00

Join the discussion about the battle for the future of comprehensive education at 'Socialism 2011', a weekend of discussion and debate hosted by the Socialist Party at the University of London Union, Malet St WC1E 7HY.

I will be introducing the discussion on " 'Free' schools at a high price: defeating the attack on comprehensive education" on Sunday Nov. 6, 1pm - 3pm.

For more information, visit: www.socialism2011.net

“School Wars – The Battle for Britain’s Education” gives a readable and concise overview of the post-war expansion of comprehensive education – and the growing threat that these educational gains could be washed away by a tidal wave of Academies and Free Schools.

Melissa Benn’s book explains how the rapid growth of these ‘independent state’ schools, unaccountable to elected Local Authorities, is strengthening the grip of private and religious interests over state education. Dedicated to her father, Tony, the veteran Labour left-winger, 'School Wars' is a heartfelt defence of universal comprehensive education as the best way to provide a good education for every child in an environment where children from all classes and backgrounds are taught together.

Her strong convictions are based on the facts and arguments outlined in the book, but also on her own positive experiences as both a pupil and as a mother of children educated in London comprehensives: “All this has confirmed it for me: comprehensives work. Given an increase in resources and greater political will in relation to school structures, and particularly selection, they could be world-class”.

But why, Benn asks, is the threatened dismantling of comprehensive education not producing the same level of public outcry as the attacks on the NHS? Her answer is that comprehensive education was never legislated for in any coherent form by any of the post-war Labour or Conservative Governments.

It was introduced slowly and unevenly and never became a universal system. Several Local Authorities, like Kent and Buckinghamshire, still retain grammar schools, selecting through the ‘11-plus’ exam even today. The fee-paying ‘public’ school sector for Britain’s elite remained untouched while the 1944 Education Act made sure that the ‘voluntary’ church schools also retained their privileged position within the state system.

The 1944 Act introduced free secondary education for all, but through a divided tripartite system of grammar, technical and secondary modern schooling. Unlike the universal NHS, class divisions were clearly maintained in state education.

But perhaps the difference in attitude is also down to more deep-seated prejudices. Benn rightly states that the notion that all children of whatever background should be taught in the same classrooms and given the same educational opportunities has always been a radical one.

Genuinely comprehensive education will always be opposed by those who believe, in essence, that some children will always be too ‘dull’ to benefit from it. Benn points to the influence of Sir Cyril Burt’s now discredited research into IQ tests which underpinned the 1944 Act. “Burt believed that social class correlated with intelligence: the higher up the social scale you were, the greater your natural fund of intelligence”.

The same debates had been fought within the Labour Movement at the time of the 1902 Education Act. While trade unionists campaigned for the ‘common school’ for all youth, the right-wing Fabian trend supported Sidney Webb’s selective ‘capacity catching’ system of scholarships to provide secondary education to ‘all whose brains make it profitable for the community to equip them with more advanced instruction’.

Such prejudices may not often be voiced so bluntly today but many of the supporters of Gove’s ‘schools revolution’ have a similar philosophy. While some claim to stand in the ‘comprehensive’ tradition of supporting the disadvantaged, Benn suggests they see their job as promoting ‘social mobility’ for just a “few talented children from poorer homes ... deserving of a more rigorous education”. The rest will be left to struggle in underfunded maintained schools and a smattering of vocational academies and technical colleges.

This is far removed from the long-standing labour movement demands for an education system that helps to transform the prospects and outlook for working-class youth as a whole. Instead, it seeks to ‘rescue’ a select few while leaving class divisions as entrenched as ever.

Gove’s proposal in the new draft schools admissions code to allow Academies and Free Schools to prioritise children on free school meals (FSM) has to be seen in this context. Just as the privatised American schools in the ‘Knowledge is Power Programme’ (KIPP)’ have done, this is about picking the ‘low-hanging fruit’ - those highly motivated low-income students who can produce good exam results at minimum cost. The fact that they will come with the extra ‘pupil premium’ funding attached to FSM pupils is an added bonus.

When combined with the additional capital funding and boosted school budgets allocated to Academies, Benn dubs it as Gove’s “canny political con trick” - “the swift but steady transfer of resources from the needy to the better-off, in the name of the disadvantaged”.

Of course, this educational counter-revolution has an important economic context. At a time of post-war growth, the expansion of comprehensive education chimed with the economic need for a better educated workforce. Benn explains how a series of official reports in the late 1950s and early 60s came out against selection and, by 1964, 90 out of 163 local education authorities, both Labour and Conservative, had submitted plans for comprehensive reorganisation.

In many areas, comprehensive reform was uncontroversial and successful. But the old prejudices in favour of grammar schools were never far away. Reform was piecemeal and hesitant. Benn correctly describes the Labour Party’s own ambivalence and hesitancy in forcing through change as “yet another missed opportunity”.

Politicians also had to take note of growing parental opposition, particularly from middle-class families whose children had failed the ‘11-plus’. Recognising that Tory support for selection had helped them lose the 1964 General Election, even ‘Milk-Snatcher’ Thatcher, Education Secretary in the 1970 Conservative Government, signed-off large numbers of further plans for comprehensive reform. By 1974, 60% of school-age children were attending them. But the “anti-comprehensive juggernaut was already starting to roll.”

As capitalism contracted, it wasn’t just financial pressures that lay behind calls for education cuts. More fundamental questions about the need to educate the majority were raised. As Benn puts it, “the oil crisis of the early 1970s, the three-day week and the general sense of economic insecurity of that period, led many to question the price of equality”.

A civil servant quoted in an earlier book “Thirty Years On”, written by Clyde Chitty and Melissa’s mother, Caroline Benn, put it more chillingly: “There has to be selection because we are beginning to create aspirations which increasingly society cannot match ... When young people cannot find work at all ... or work which meets their abilities or expectations ... then we are only creating frustration with perhaps disturbing social consequences ... people must be educated once more to know their place”.

Benn charts how, from Labour Prime Minister Callaghan’s 1976 ‘Ruskin speech’ that echoed the media attacks on progressive education, through the governments of Thatcher, Major, Blair and Brown, the educational gains of the post-war boom were steadily reclaimed.

Despite Blunkett’s promises, Blair’s administration did nothing to abolish the remaining 164 grammars which “have increasingly become the preserve of the better-off”. However, no government has yet sought to restore an openly selective system. The damaging legacy of secondary moderns was all too clear – blighting the self-esteem of many young people and, as statistics for those Authorities that have retained the 11-plus still demonstrate, depressing examination results overall.

So, by 1996, 90% of children were taught in ostensibly ‘comprehensive’ schools. However, those schools now operated in a competitive environment created by the new neo-liberal consensus. This emphasised the need for ‘choice and diversity’ to allow the ‘market’ to weave its magic on public services.

The Tories’ 1988 Education Reform Act had introduced Grant-Maintained Schools and City Technology Colleges along with ‘open enrolment’ and ‘local management of schools’. All were meant to undermine the powers of local authorities and to encourage schools to compete for pupils in order to attract the extra funding that came with a bigger intake.

Benn explains how the 1988 Act also introduced the national curriculum, followed in 1995 by school league tables and SATs. “Schools now became like shops, with league tables, a kind of shorthand indicator of desirability”. A whole series of Acts followed under Labour, including the introduction of City Academies, paving the way to Gove’s present onslaught.

Benn explains how this competition quickly created ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ as schools sought to make “their comprehensive ‘mix’ a far more favourable one, attractive to middle-class parents: results could be boosted, league-table positions improved, and the virtuous circle set in motion. Meanwhile, community schools in areas of deprivation ... were struggling to deal with large numbers of children on low incomes, many with poor English and/or behavioural problems linked to difficulties in family or home life. Here ... a vicious circle was all too often in place, despite the best efforts of heads and teachers”.

The 11-plus may not exist in most authorities, but school admissions policy is still a key battleground in every area. Academies, faith and foundation schools have become their own admission authorities with limited checks on whether they are following the ‘admissions code’ in practice. Benn quotes research from Anne West of the LSE suggesting that in ‘own admissions’ schools nearly half were operating some sort of covert or overt selection.

Benn lists a whole series of ruses used by schools ranging from the overt selection of 10% of pupils by ‘aptitude’ allowed in ‘specialist’ schools or the complex criteria set down by some faith schools to engineer a favourable intake, to the selective choice of the ‘right’ sort of family from a waiting list or the promotion of the school by leafleting in the ‘right’ area.

Selection is not only about the pupils schools let in; it’s also the pupils they push out. Benn points to the official statistics confirming the higher exclusion rates in academies. She also points to a study showing an astonishing 15% annual drop-out rate in the US KIPP schools.

This polarisation means that many ‘comprehensive’ schools are, in effect, already ‘secondary moderns’ that inevitably struggle at the foot of the ‘league tables’. This will be shown up even more starkly now that the Coalition has abolished the publication of Contextual Value-Added measures which, for all their faults, at least went some way to recognising that home background remains the main influence on exam outcomes. Yet Gove’s latest proposal is to take advantage of this supposed ‘failure’ by using new powers to force schools that fail to meet his imposed ‘floor targets’ into becoming Academies.

Benn explains that results from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show that the UK now has one of the widest gaps “between the reading abilities of our quickest and slowest learners ... Most of the differences [are] explained by differences in the socio-economic background ... in short, we operate a kind of educational apartheid”.

Yet, the proponents of Academies and Free Schools want to ignore these facts. Instead of the unspoken prejudices about innate ‘intelligence’, many of the attacks on comprehensive education now come from the opposite side of the ‘nature or nurture’ debate. While presiding over cuts and growing child poverty, they try to argue that, if children really do have equal abilities across the class divide, why should it matter if some schools have a more privileged intake than others?

Benn quotes Blair’s remarks about ‘the soft bigotry of low expectations’ and Free School campaigner Katherine Birbalsingh’s accusations of a ‘culture of excuses’ that ‘keeps poor children poor’. This propaganda – looking to blame teachers, trade unions and local authorities for the problems created by a divided society and education system – can attract support from frustrated parents. It is backed by a media campaign deliberately presenting a distorted picture of indiscipline and underachievement. Its real intentions must be exposed – to introduce an even more polarised and unequal system dominated by the private sector.

New Labour left us with 203 academies. But Benn explains how the Tories were determined to extend their reach far beyond the inner-city areas where they had first been introduced. Academy status was offered to ‘outstanding schools’, then extended to ‘good’ schools and even ‘satisfactory’ schools if they joined in Academy partnerships. “Plainly, the aim was to create a majority of privately managed institutions, leaving a rump of struggling schools within the ambit of local authorities, themselves undermined by savage budget cuts”.

Benn explains how the Tories saw Blair’s caution at launching such widespread change as a mistake, and rushed through their Academies Bill at breakneck speed. Within a year, they had brought the number of Academies up to 600, with plans for many more, including in the primary sector. In September 2011, 24 new ‘free schools’ also opened, again with plans for more to follow.

The Tories claim that their education market works but Benn spells out that the international evidence points to the contrary. “Whether it’s Finland or South Korea or Alberta in Canada, genuinely non-selective systems routinely top the world league tables”.

Evidence from the USA confirms that, on average, privatised ‘charter schools’ do no better than their state-run counterparts. The PISA results for Sweden show a significant fall in their international ranking since the introduction of free schools – at the same time as social segregation between schools has grown.

There is no doubt that many schools have been attracted towards taking Academy status by the promise of advantageous funding arrangements at a time of shrinking budgets. But even those Heads supporting conversion recognise that those ‘bribes’ to participate in the break-up of state education won’t last forever. The Treasury will demand further cuts.

Of course smaller class sizes and greater funding would make a significant difference. But again, the international evidence exposes the truth. Pupil teacher ratios in Swedish free schools have got worse, not better, as their owners aim to increase their profit margins.

‘School Wars’ leaves its readers in no doubt that the pursuit of profit is a significant part of the ‘state-subsidised privatisation’ of education. Each of the 35 circulars and Acts since 1988 has created more opportunities for private companies to move into the education market estimated by the ATL union to be worth around £100 billion. It includes school inspections, textbooks and software as well as outsourced local authority functions such as accountancy, buildings maintenance and professional development.

But it’s the substantial organisations now running ‘chains’ of academies like ARK, E-ACT and the United Learning Trust, with resources easily able to rival local authorities, that are set to dominate the new school system. Other for-profit providers like Edison Learning are waiting in the wings for the government to lift the ban on running schools for a profit.

These chains are already free to ignore national pay and conditions for staff. One of the principal aims of the schools revolution is to atomise the workforce and undermine trade unions. Parents will also find their rights “significantly diminished, with governing bodies largely appointed and controlled by the sponsor”. Instead of a Local Authority overseeing provision of places, admissions and special needs, at least in principle in the interests of the population as a whole, individual schools and chains will be trying to put their interests first.

Benn doesn’t dodge the difficult arguments – such as how to explain the apparent success of Mossbourne Academy in Hackney where 83% of students achieved five A*-C grades in 2010. Its Head, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has just been appointed the new Head of Ofsted. She argues that it “can be put down to three key elements, none of which are intrinsically bound up with privatisation”. These are its huge emphasis on test preparation, a tough discipline code but, above all, that the school has a genuinely comprehensive spread of students. But such a balanced intake will prove to be the exception, rather than the rule.

Every teacher would accept that students need an orderly environment in which to learn, but the underlying culture of some of these schools is reminiscent of the harsh discipline instilled under the Victorian ‘payment by results’ system where schools were similarly financially dependent on narrow exam scores.

Some Mossbourne pupils refer to its ‘chilly atmosphere’. Benn points out that KIPP schools also boast of their authoritarian ‘no excuses’ culture, describing reports of ‘chants, songs, ritualised greetings and public humiliations’. The regime is no easier for teachers. Just as in Sweden’s Free Schools, as the teacher Sigbritt Herbert writing in The Socialist (http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/691/13040/26-10-2011/free-schools-freedom-to-privatise-education) explained, teacher turnover is high.

Benn warns of a future where private providers will seek to cut costs by cutting back on qualified teachers through the use of standardised computer-based learning, already a trend in Sweden pointed to by Herbert.

As Benn asks “Is this a model that we in the UK seriously want to follow?” Yes, she argues, we can learn from Mossbourne’s close attention to individual progress, but do we just want schools to be exam factories that can most efficiently churn out test scores? In contrast, Benn describes her visit to Wellington College where, for the small price of close to £30,000 a year in fees, students enjoy fantastic extra-curricular opportunities and a curriculum which includes lessons in emotional education or ‘roundedness’ as well as academic success.

Why shouldn’t the education offered to our ruling elite be applicable to the rest of us? To the unnamed civil servant, it’s undoubtedly because we’re meant to be taught to ‘know our place’. Instead, Benn raises examples of what a genuine comprehensive education could look like, freed from the constant ‘levelling’ of children’s work, providing a broad curriculum that doesn’t push children down a particular pathway at an early age, bringing diverse communities together instead of segregating them on class, ethnic and religious grounds.

‘School Wars’ proposes not an NHS, but an NES, a National Education Service based on well-designed, well-equipped neighbourhood schools with balanced pupil intakes. Instead of competing for pupils, there should be collaboration between schools overseen by some kind of admissions forum. Benn raises the question, without reaching a definitive conclusion, about how a fair balance of abilities and social composition might best be achieved. How can we overcome the social isolation of a school serving just one deprived estate? What are the benefits of banding arrangements, catchment areas or random ‘lottery’ allocations? These are debates that parents, trade unionists and socialists need to take further.

To her credit, Benn doesn’t overlook that most blatant divide in British education – the separate education of a privileged caste in our fee-paying ‘public’ schools. She rightly pours scorn on the idea that we should continue to subsidise supposedly ‘charitable’ private schools to the tune of £100 million a year and criticises the 1945 Labour Government for failing to seek their abolition at a time when they were most vulnerable.

The demand for abolition of the public school system is as valid today as it was in 1945. But where is the political party that’s going to call for it? Which of the main political parties is even prepared to stand with trade unions and campaigners like Melissa Benn and fight against the privatisation and dismantling of what remains of our comprehensive system?

This is one of the weaknesses of ‘School Wars’. While Melissa Benn is prepared to criticise New Labour, and particularly Blair’s educational treachery, she still tries to contrast Labour successes against Tory failures when there is so little of substance to choose between them. For example, the book opens with talk of “generous increases” in funding under Blair, but very few schools saw this translated into significant increases in resourcing. The improvements in exam outcomes that Benn cites were, above all, the result of the ‘exam factory’ culture that she rightly criticises and an unsustainable increase in teacher workload.

The book is also unashamedly written from a middle-class perspective, discussing the guilt (or lack of it) of well-paid acquaintances who opt for private education or a selective school for their children rather than their local comprehensive. As Benn states, what chance does a working-class family have to afford school fees or to access “the shadowy world of tutoring and exam preparation that powers children into highly selective grammars”?

It is those working-class families that need to be participating in this debate and, as in the ‘school wars’ of over a century ago, mobilising to demand a free publicly-run comprehensive education system under the ‘management of elected representatives of the people’. This was at a time when directly elected ‘School Boards’ were indeed given responsibility for local education. These elections led to some of the first electoral successes for independent working-class representatives, helped by the ‘plumping’ system of voting that aided minority representation. These victories helped convince the Tories (with the support of Sidney Webb) to abolish the School Boards in the 1902 Education Act.

Benn argues that we should respond to criticism of how local authorities manage schools by calling for a modern equivalent of ‘School Boards’. She argues that such directly elected ‘Local Education Councils’ could involve representatives of political parties, community activists, school students, professionals, business representatives and parents.

Benn’s concluding chapter sets out the frightening prospect of a complete fragmentation of state education, with the hundreds of existing academies perhaps soon to be joined by the thousands of church schools that may come on board to protect their privileges. She asks if people will “stand by as one of our most vital public services passes into hands of venture capitalists, hedge fund managers and a growing array of faith groups?”

Referring to campaigns against new Academy conversions being fought right across the country, she raises the hope that there can be a “counter-revolution, spreading up from the new privatised classrooms of the twenty-first century, demanding a return to first principles on the purpose and methods of our children’s education”. However, she seems pessimistic that such a response will only follow after impending defeat, and that, for now, “the game might well be up”. Is Benn being unduly pessimistic or making a realistic assessment of the balance of forces?

The lack of a workers’ party to challenge the neo-liberal consensus is certainly a weakness. But shouldn’t anti-academy campaigners be standing in local elections to provide such a challenge just as trade unionists successfully stood in the elections to School Boards?

What about trade union and community action? Individual school campaigns have scored some successes but many schools have converted to academy status with only limited opposition. The rapid speed of conversion and inadequate consultation allowed under the new legislation have certainly presented real difficulties.

The NUT hopes it can regroup around a remaining ‘bulwark’ of schools that will stand firm against academisation. Certainly, if the budgetary ‘bribes’ dry up, the benefits of academy conversion will be less obvious to school governors.

A new battlefront will open up in opposition to the ‘forced’ conversions of schools that have failed to meet floor targets. Unlike the ‘voluntary’ conversions, there is much greater potential for a joint campaign by governors, heads, staff and parents in opposing an Academy and also to organise co-ordinated strike action across affected schools.

A reassessment of campaigning strategy is certainly needed. The arguments so clearly set down in Melissa Benn’s book can certainly help to build that anti-academy movement.