Action changing teachers' outlook in Hull

The strike and rally was mostly very successful in Hull and the East Riding. We think about half the schools were closed or partially closed in the region. The response was a real mixture of full support in some schools to one school deciding as a group that they did not want to take action.

I have taken a patient and sympathetic approach with those who did not want to strike or did not strike and believe that the success of the 24th will bolster some of the waverers for future battles. Most members I spoke to were supportive of the aims of the strike, even those that did not vote for it.

For me the most interesting response was from the younger teachers. At one school I went to, a young teacher (late 20s) said she supported the strike but had seen Billy Elliott and was worried about clashes with the police and being spat at! Whilst this is amusing at one level it encapsulates the level of awareness of a wide layer of younger teachers. We should not underestimate the personal battles with themselves that some of our members have gone through to take action.

However those that came to the rally that we held jointly with the east riding were transformed. One young teacher who had not been to any school based meetings said the day after "it was fantastic to see everyone together all united!" You could see the expressions of delight on the faces of some of the older teachers in their fifties. Many of whom thought they would never see a day like we had again after the battles of the eighties.

At the rally we had speakers from PCS, UCU and Unison - all were well received and the sense we were not alone in our battle with the government raised the sights of teachers.

Mike Whale