Derby teachers show what we're made of!

Yesterday NUT members across the city struck in the first day of national industrial action in our campaign to win:

• Reversal of the government's policy of drastic and deepening cuts to education funding

• A guarantee that our national terms and conditions of employment will be retained

• A national, negotiated agreement about terms, conditions and workload

Nicky Morgan, the education secretary, has called our strike 'ideological'. The hypocrisy of this statement is breathtaking - our action to defend the learning conditions of children is taking place against a background of planned privatisation of the education system in England by converting all schools into multi-academy trusts by 2022. If this isn't ideological, it's hard to see what is.

Incidentally, the NUT asked the Department for Education for the evidence they were using to justify this policy (which was not included in the Conservative Party's election manifesto last year) since the white paper was first announced. We're still waiting for a response.

Many schools were either wholly or partially shut, and across the country teachers have been joining the NUT as we show our commitment to tackling these national issues. Over 6,000 new members have joined us since our announcement of the intention to strike less than two weeks ago.

On the day of the strike over a hundred teachers and their families joined together to leaflet the public and hold a rally in the city centre. Trades unionists from other unions, including UNISON whose TA members are currently in a dispute of their own, spoke and gave messages of support. Watch a video from the Derby Telegraph of the marketplace here.

Other speakers included parents and students who shared their stories of the changes to education over the last few years and their anger at what is being done to our students.

On the picket lines, many drivers honked in support of our action, and teachers out leafleting the public reported that most people approached were happy to take leaflets and many gave messages of support.

We were also able to get our message out in the Derby Telegraph, BBC Radio Derby and on TV.

This was a great start - now we need to use the momentum we have gathered to keep up the pressure on the government and win our campaign!

Join us at an NUT members' meeting next Tuesday 12th July, 4.30 - 6pm at the NUT offices.

NUT office address:

City Road Business Centre

City road

Derby

DE1 3RQ

Bring your ideas!

Contact me on secretary@city-of-derby.nut.org.uk or 07929 043 415 for more details or if you need arrangements for disabled access.