UNISON BALLOT CONFIRMED - NUT MUST BALLOT TOO!
Lewisham UNISON's secretary has just come into our NUT office to show us the news on UNISON's national website - that their ballot for action in July has been approved ! He had already assumed we would be balloting too !
Surely, this decides the argument over whether the NUT waits until next term or ballots this term. It would be criminal not to ballot alongside UNISON for joint action - low-paid support staff would not understand why teachers were not joining in. On the other hand, news of joint action would encourage both teachers and support staff to return their ballot papers with a big "YES" !
The MAY 22nd meeting of the National Executive can give the go-ahead for a ballot - but there are still many NUT Executive members that remain to be convinced.
There are only a few days left to lobby NUT Executive members to convince them to agree a ballot to take action in July. In particular, it seems that some supporters of the ‘Campaign for a Democratic and Fighting Union’ (who you might expect to be supporting action) still want to postpone a new ballot, arguing that there was not enough support on April 24th. This when other trade unions –like UNISON – have been encouraged precisely because of the success of our action and the publicity it generated!
We must not miss this opportunity for joint school action!
· Speak to your local National Executive members – (You can find details in the NUT Diary) - ask them if they are going to support the call for action on May 22nd. If they are not, argue the case, get other teachers and NUT school groups to lobby them too!
· Approach other leading trade unionists – such as UNISON officers – who may be able to help convince NUT National Executive members as well.
· Send an e-mail to the National Executive calling for a ballot for joint strike action alongside UNISON in July from your school group. E-mail to c.blower@nut.org.uk.
Martin Powell-Davies
Surely, this decides the argument over whether the NUT waits until next term or ballots this term. It would be criminal not to ballot alongside UNISON for joint action - low-paid support staff would not understand why teachers were not joining in. On the other hand, news of joint action would encourage both teachers and support staff to return their ballot papers with a big "YES" !
The MAY 22nd meeting of the National Executive can give the go-ahead for a ballot - but there are still many NUT Executive members that remain to be convinced.
There are only a few days left to lobby NUT Executive members to convince them to agree a ballot to take action in July. In particular, it seems that some supporters of the ‘Campaign for a Democratic and Fighting Union’ (who you might expect to be supporting action) still want to postpone a new ballot, arguing that there was not enough support on April 24th. This when other trade unions –like UNISON – have been encouraged precisely because of the success of our action and the publicity it generated!
We must not miss this opportunity for joint school action!
· Speak to your local National Executive members – (You can find details in the NUT Diary) - ask them if they are going to support the call for action on May 22nd. If they are not, argue the case, get other teachers and NUT school groups to lobby them too!
· Approach other leading trade unionists – such as UNISON officers – who may be able to help convince NUT National Executive members as well.
· Send an e-mail to the National Executive calling for a ballot for joint strike action alongside UNISON in July from your school group. E-mail to c.blower@nut.org.uk.
Martin Powell-Davies
posted by classroom teacher at
12:05
1 Comments:
At our quorate general meeting tonight, Greenwich NUT members unanimously supported a motion to go the the NUT Executive meeting this Thursday to demand that they call a ballot for discontinuous action in pursuit of our pay claim and that such action should take place on the same day as the planned Unison strike.
The fact that Unison may be taking action on 8/9 July should make NUT executive members realise why it is so important not to lose the momentum and do nothing until September.
It would be madness to have a situation where low paid support and catering staff are out on strike while teachers go into work.
We should put maximum efforts to pressure our Exec to call the ballot. But if they refuse then we must start organising joint meetings of public sector unions now, so that we can build a united fight over pay. By calling on Unison to mount picket lines, we can take unoffical action at the school gates on the 8/9 July if the strike goes ahead.
A committment to this sort of grass roots solidarity is likely to win support for the Unison strike and show that as rank and file activists we can take action, even when our 'cautious' union leadership bottles it.
Kirstie Paton
President of Greenwich NUT
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