UNISON and UNITE Strike
16th & 17th JulyOn 16 and 17 July some of
the UK's lowest paid workers will go on strike. 600,000 local government
workers - care assistants, refuse collectors, cleaners,
teaching assistants, social workers - the people who keep
our public services going - are taking action because
employers are asking them to take a pay cut. This will have
an effect on all schools.
What can we do?1. DO NOT carry out
any work or duties that would normally be carried out by a
UNISON or UNITE member
2. DO NOT
do anything which could put pupils, colleagues or yourself
at risk.3. DO tell UNISON and
UNITE members at your school that you support their cause4. Do explore ways in
which mutual support can be given to our respective disputes
regarding public sector pay
Full details of the union
advice can be found
here.
If you
have any queries regarding the strike, you should contact
the Derbyshire office on 01629 585086.
What Next?
The 24th April was
undoubtedly a successful day of action, but where do we go from
here. The local and national union are canvassing opinion
from you, our members.
Do you think the
strike was a success?
What were your
experiences of the day?
How do you think we
should pursue or case for fair pay for teachers?
Would you support
another day of action?
When do you think it
should be?
Should we attempt
some other form action?
What form should that
action take?
How do you think we
should publicise our case?
Should we involve
members from other teacher unions?
How could we increase
participation by our members?
If you have any
ideas on this or other issues, you can contact use
by e-mail by clicking
here.
If you would
prefer a more traditional approach, click
here for other avenues of
communication.
Strike!!!!
The National
Union of Teachers held a one day national strike on
Thursday April 24th.
For many of us,
the day started in the damp.
Picket lines were
plagued by the rain and although the weather was
warm, many member were soaked through. Spirits
were not dampened however and reports came from
around the county of members successfully turning
fellow staff away.
About 100
teachers, PCS and UCU members attended a rally in
the centre of Chesterfield. Bill Greenshields
and John Holmes spoke for the NUT giving a clear
presentation of the issues involved and why it is
necessary for teachers to take action.
Gillian Whittaker
the difficulties being experienced by our colleagues
in the public sector. They experience poor
standards of pay, management bullying and the insane
wastage of funding on consultants and new
initiatives.
James Eaden spoke for the
UCU, underlining the equalities implicit in using the
consumer price index instead of the retail price index to
calculate wage increases and stated that although the
Lecturers wanted parity with teachers, they wanted their pay
and conditions brought up to ours, not ours taken down to
theirs.What can
we do next?Have a picket lineBring placards, leaflets
and posters.Talk to ParentsLeaflet homes in the
school’s or your home area or leaflet and talk to parents as
they bring children to school
Contribute to the debate.
Send an E-mail to your local
union by clicking
here or add to the online debate at the union website by
clicking
here.Attend meetings/rallies
we hope to hold meetings/rallieson
the day in Chesterfield and Derby in partnership with the
University & Colleges Union and the PCS
Send an e-mail to your MP.
Click
here
to find out how
(Note: You must scroll to the
bottom to use the postcode search to find your MP).Arrange a meeting
in your school to discuss the issues.
Full details of the issues
and the campaign are available
here.
Resources to help with the
publicity are available here.
Attend a local
meeting.
Either attend one of your
association's general meetings or one of the special public
meetings to discuss the issues
Here is a message from our
acting general secretary
New
CoursesThere are a number of new
courses available for member. Visit the learning reps
page to find out more or click
here for details
