WHY I JOINED SOCIALIST PARTY TEACHERS
WHY I JOINED SOCIALIST PARTY TEACHERS
Faith McGrath (Lewisham NUT)
WE CAN ALL RATTLE OFF the major fights we have as teachers: pay, workload and a host of centrally imposed government directives such as Performance Management.
Many of us are aware that the current political climate is dominated by the three mainstream political parties who, like the three sisters of the mythological Gorgons, share a single eye to stare coldly upon us, the workforce, with equal contempt and menace. Consequently, we have little recourse against this monster, except to look to our Union leaders to take a strong lead in this fight.
We look to the NUT leaders to meet the onslaught of these political monsters with a decisive and effective offensive. We look to the NUT leaders to make clear, unequivocal demands, and when governments do not meet these demands, to organise and implement serious and sustained strike action until we are satisfied with the outcome.
So what do you do when the awful realisation dawns on you that you cannot rely on the NUT leaders to fight their members’ battles?
You look to pressure groups active within the NUT such as the CDFU and STA, to name but two, who lean on the NUT leadership to fulfil the needs of its members.
It took attendance at only one NUT Annual Conference last year for me to realise that not all pressure groups exert the pressure that you might expect them to. I realised that it was only Socialist Party Teachers’ members that were showing the sheer single-minded determination to go all out uncompromisingly to get the job done and to defeat the onslaughts we face.
Nearly a year down the line, we at last have a hard won ballot for a one-day national strike. I can say that, without doubt, I made the right choice. Socialist Party Teachers’ members have pressed the NUT leadership unequivocally for strike action on pay, questioned the leadership when it dragged its feet, pressed them to be more specific about timescales and dates.
I know that, if, as we hope, the ballot is successful, Socialist Party Teachers will continue to apply serious pressure for this action to become more than a one-day stunt.
We will also continue to press, with genuine conviction, for firm action on all the other issues affecting teachers.
FIND OUT MORE:
For all the latest reports and analysis from around the globe from the Committee for A Workers’ International:
www.socialistworld.net
Visit the Socialist Party’s own website:
www.socialistparty.org.uk
For news, reports and resources, visit the website for Socialist Party Teachers, on:
www.socialistteachers.org.uk
Faith McGrath (Lewisham NUT)
WE CAN ALL RATTLE OFF the major fights we have as teachers: pay, workload and a host of centrally imposed government directives such as Performance Management.
Many of us are aware that the current political climate is dominated by the three mainstream political parties who, like the three sisters of the mythological Gorgons, share a single eye to stare coldly upon us, the workforce, with equal contempt and menace. Consequently, we have little recourse against this monster, except to look to our Union leaders to take a strong lead in this fight.
We look to the NUT leaders to meet the onslaught of these political monsters with a decisive and effective offensive. We look to the NUT leaders to make clear, unequivocal demands, and when governments do not meet these demands, to organise and implement serious and sustained strike action until we are satisfied with the outcome.
So what do you do when the awful realisation dawns on you that you cannot rely on the NUT leaders to fight their members’ battles?
You look to pressure groups active within the NUT such as the CDFU and STA, to name but two, who lean on the NUT leadership to fulfil the needs of its members.
It took attendance at only one NUT Annual Conference last year for me to realise that not all pressure groups exert the pressure that you might expect them to. I realised that it was only Socialist Party Teachers’ members that were showing the sheer single-minded determination to go all out uncompromisingly to get the job done and to defeat the onslaughts we face.
Nearly a year down the line, we at last have a hard won ballot for a one-day national strike. I can say that, without doubt, I made the right choice. Socialist Party Teachers’ members have pressed the NUT leadership unequivocally for strike action on pay, questioned the leadership when it dragged its feet, pressed them to be more specific about timescales and dates.
I know that, if, as we hope, the ballot is successful, Socialist Party Teachers will continue to apply serious pressure for this action to become more than a one-day stunt.
We will also continue to press, with genuine conviction, for firm action on all the other issues affecting teachers.
FIND OUT MORE:
For all the latest reports and analysis from around the globe from the Committee for A Workers’ International:
www.socialistworld.net
Visit the Socialist Party’s own website:
www.socialistparty.org.uk
For news, reports and resources, visit the website for Socialist Party Teachers, on:
www.socialistteachers.org.uk
posted by socialistteacher at 8:45 PM
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