REJECT the end of strike action - we can WIN on PAY and FUNDING

 

Our General Meeting on Thursday last week took place in the context of the government's announcement that they would impose a part-funded 6.5% pay rise for teachers in exchange for the union leadership recommending the offer to the members. 

The Derby District meeting considered the issue and had a really excellent debate on whether to accept this recommendation.

We voted unanimously to REJECT the government position in favour of continuing the campaign on pay and funding.

Derby was not alone in this. Brent, Waltham Forest, Warwickshire, Sheffield, North Somerset, Coventry, Islington, Lambeth, Oxfordshire, Birmingham, Shropshire, Bristol and Hackney have all taken the decision to recommend we REJECT this imposition. The Guardian yesterday reported on growing opposition to the deal - click here for the story.

There are many reasons to reject, the most important of which are listed below. We hope when making up your mind on this issue that you will consider the arguments to REJECT as compelling as we did at the District Meeting. This is one of the most important decisions our union will make in this campaign for PAY and FUNDING in education so PLEASE USE YOUR VOTE when the electronic consultative ballot opens on TUESDAY 18 JULY.

UPDATE (TUES 18 JULY)

Last night (Monday 17th July), over 1000 members joined the Zoom call for Reject. You can get a sense of the arguments on the video here:

 

Why vote REJECT?

12 Reasons To Reject 6.5% and Escalate Action:

1.  We went on strike for a FULLY FUNDED INFLATION PROOF PAY RISE
2.  Inflation is currently 11.3% so 6.5% is a 4.8% real terms PAY CUT.
3.  The offer does nothing to restore this current academic year's real terms PAY CUT
4.  The 6.5% offer is NOT FULLY FUNDED. The government is only providing an extra 3%
5. This will further erode school budgets and it will be our most vulnerable students who will be hardest hit.
6. The lack of funding will also make our support staff members more vulnerable to job cuts.
7.  Further real terms pay cuts and underfunding will only exacerbate the crisis in teacher recruitment and retention.
8.  We will not lose the 6.5% by rejecting the offer. It has already been imposed. But we could achieve a better deal through escalation.
9.  Our strike action has been solid and growing. Our latest strike had the highest number of school closures.
10.  Over 70,000 new members have joined the NEU since the beginning of the dispute. We have never been in a stronger position to defeat the government.
11. Our action has already shifted the government considerably despite their refusal to negotiate.
12. The Prime Minister commented on 13th July that public sector pay awards will be funded by increased visa and NHS charges to migrants. Our pay should not be used as part of a real or media strategy to attack the most vulnerable in society.

A note on funding. The government say schools were given extra money to fund a 3% pay rise this year so schools can afford the unfunded part of what they have imposed. Schools have been suffering chronic underfunding for 13 years. The extra funding announced last year took funding back to 2015 levels on a per-pupil basis, which is to say half-way through the austerity period. The hugely increased costs in energy and price inflation will have had an impact on that spending and of course the 2022-23 pay settlement which we went on strike over in the first place was unfunded. While there will be schools which can absorb the cost to their budgets there will be many which can't and many more which will struggle because of the dire state of funding up to this point.

We should be clear that if we accept, we WILL NOT take further strike action to get a better deal on pay and funding. If we REJECT, in the discussion it was clear we all believe we will need a serious escalation of strike action to get a better deal from the government. We've taken 8 days, spread out across months to get this far. Rapid resolution of the dispute in our favour is, we think, much more likely if we take multiple days of action in a row.

Two Important Zoom Calls Before You VOTE:

There will be two important Zoom calls on Monday 17th July. At 5.00 pm Kevin and Mary, the outgoing General Secretaries of the NEU will explain the case for accepting what has been imposed by the government and ending the strike campaign. We STRONGLY URGE members to attend this meeting.

At 7.00 pm there will be a Zoom call for those arguing that we REJECT this imposition and keep strikes on the table. We STRONGLY URGE YOU TO ATTEND THIS MEETING TOO. Details below.

*Educators Say No! Emergency Zoom Meeting*

 Monday 17 July, 7pm

 https://us06web.zoom.us/j/72716106376?pwd=dPRAcjaA7Ubf6fm06SLwQZLa6ECmba.1

 Meeting ID: 727 1610 6376

Passcode: 351383

 Join us to organise for the biggest possible Reject vote.

 

What did Derby District Agree on Thursday?

Here is the motion we passed on Thursday:

Emergency Motion on the NEU’s Pay and Funding Campaign

 This District notes with concern:

·        The government announcement of their intention to implement a 6.5% pay rise for 2023-24

·        The National Executive Committee (NEC) recommendation to accept this offer

·        That only 3% of this award will be funded with additional funds from central government with the remaining 3.5% from existing budgets

·        That is award is for 2023-24 only and does not address the 2022-23 pay award

·        The Prime Minister comments of 13th July that the public sector pay awards will be funded by increased migrant visa charges and migrants’ access to NHS charges

 

This District further notes that:

·        Members have taken 8 days of industrial action this year to support the campaign for a fully funded above inflation pay rise

·        The 8 days of industrial action taken so far is the biggest industrial campaign in education for over a decade

·        The massive growth in NEU membership largely because we are taking action on the crucial issues of pay and funding

·        That our union has a long and proud history of anti-racism, and we should reject any pay awards funded in part by racist attacks on the most vulnerable in society

·        This District firmly rejects this deal and recommendation from the NEC to accept the offer

·        That over 50,000 NEU members are Support Staff members whose jobs will be put at risk by accepting any unfunded pay award for teachers

·        CPI currently stands at 7.9%, while RPI stands at 11.3%

 

This District congratulates the NASUWT on beating the ballot threshold and looks forward to working with our sister union wherever possible on this dispute.

 

This District resolves:

·        To call on the National Executive Committee (NEC) to withdraw their recommendation that members accept this award

·        To reject out of hand any offer which is not fully funded

·        To call on the NEC to plan for an escalated campaign of industrial action in the autumn term, alongside whichever sister unions are also able to take action with us wherever possible but alone if necessary

·        To reaffirm our support for the Workers Summit on September 23rd and increase the maximum number of delegates we will send to 10

·        To add our support for the Educators Say No! letter sent to the NEC today.

·        To plan District events aimed at increasing public support for the demands for increased pay and funding in education.

·       To produce materials to circulate to members recommending rejection of the deal

·       To urge reps to hold meetings in schools urgently to address the deal and put the case for rejection

• To promote rejection of the deal through social media