Message For Today, Thursday 24th April 2008 - Strike Day

In your APRIL 2008 NEWSLETTER I have said of the strike ballot result

“This is a significant result and I call on NTA members to support the strike call”.

I recall the last NUT Divisional Secretaries briefing where Steve Sinnott stated we should be proud
of being a member of the Union leading the public sector pay campaign.

Well on the 24th April 2008 we shall now be joined by members of the University and College Union, following their successful ballot, and some sections of the Public Civil Servants Union.

Peter Smith

To All NTA Members Working in Newham

NUT Strike Thursday 24th April 2008

By now you will have heard of the sudden death of our General Secretary, Steve Sinnott,
on Saturday 5th April 2008. On our website there is a page dedicated to news of this untimely event. There you will see a copy of the personal letter I immediately sent to his wife, Mary, along with the Newham Tributes. You can see all the tributes on our website by clicking Tributes To Steve Sinnott; you can even add your own tribute.

I shall be recommending to the NTA Committee the setting up of an Association hardship fund in memory of Steve.

You can also click NUT Strike Action and listen to Steve calling upon you to take strike action on Thursday 24th April 2008. He was very buoyant about the outcome of the strike ballot and strongly believed this action was necessary to win FAIR PAY FOR TEACHERS; his closing remarks at the NUT 2008 Annual Conference. All NUT members working in Newham and paid under the school teachers’ pay and conditions document are encouraged to take strike action. Exemptions are for those in their last year of service and those required for public examinations taking place on the day. Other queries, please contact the NTA Office.

I ask you to show your solidarity with Steve
by answering his call on Thursday 24th April 2008.

The Local Authority has e-mailed the following advice to headteachers “Those in a union are not legally required to tell you in advance of their intentions, but understanding service implications, they may. If they do not, you should assume they will be taking strike action.” I have also informed the LA that it is now unlawful for an agency to provide staff to cover employees engaged in lawful strike action and pay deduction to be 1/365 in accordance with the Burgundy Book. Thus members should not be asked if they are taking strike action and it is down to those who do not wish to take strike action to inform their headteacher or appropriate line manager.

You will receive in the post an A3 flyer informing you of the demonstration and rally on Thursday 24th April 2008, along with a copy of NUT NEWS number 7 and the NUT NEWS announcing the death of Steve Sinnott.

Please find the NTA Banner at Lincolns Inn Fields by 11.30am on the day.

Finally, on your return to work on Monday 21st April 2008 you should find your NTA April 2008 members’ NEWSLETTER, inside a NTA envelope, in your pigeon hole. If that is not the case please contact, urgently, NUT Headquarters [0207 388 6191] asking for membership and subscriptions department to update your record. You will need your home postal code and/or membership number [see label on envelope] ready.

Yours sincerely

Peter Smith
Secretary

The Strike Goes Ahead. This Is Why....

Members of the National Union of Teachers are on strike on April 24th 2008 to defend the education service. We have done everything we can to avoid it, but the Government will just not listen to us. They have cut our pay rates for the last three years, and now want to do the same for the next three years.

This is not just bad for teachers. The education service, our schools and our children will suffer. With declining pay rates, the best graduates will be discouraged from becoming teachers. It has happened before and will happen again when teachers’ pay has been cut in this way.

In the end it creates a shortage of teachers. This in turn creates very large classes. This means that lessons cannot be properly prepared and marked without teachers working about 60 hours a week. Large classes also mean that teachers cannot give children the individual attention they deserve – unlike the small classes in private education!!! Sometimes this results in bad pupil behaviour and classroom disruption.

Recently, teacher shortages and teacher workload became so bad that the government finally recognised it.

But they didn’t take steps to increase the number of teachers. They just changed the law, and allowed unqualified staff to teach your children – and paid them even less than teachers!

Please support the NUT Strike Action.

Regards,
Peter Smith