Short-term saving, long-term misery

Isn’t it obvious that giving young children a good start by investing in Sure Start will save far greater sums being spent on education and social services in future?

Lewisham Council is one of many desperately looking at its Children’s Centre’s budgets to balance its books. Before Christmas it was proposing a £1.7M cut. Now that’s risen to £2.7M.

Officers propose that all 19 Children’s Centres will be taken over by schools or outsourced to the voluntary or private sector. But this “Big Society” approach will mean both loss of provision and fee rises for parents. For staff, it will mean up to 50 job losses.

Politicians can argue who is to blame. Families know they will be the losers.

Martin Powell-Davies, Secretary, Lewisham NUT


A response to Polly Toynbee's article in the Guardian yesterday highlighting the dangers to Sure Start funding cuts:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/28/children-legacy-debt-sure-start

Workers and Students Unite and Fight

"Workers and Students, Unite and Fight" was the slogan resounding through Central London today as a joint demonstration of students and trade unionists marched in protest at education cuts, tuition fee rises and the axing of the EMA.

NUT delegations were there with their banners from a number of NUT Associations. Chants of "Tunisia and Egypt, Solidarity" showed how the revolutionary events in those countries were inspiring youth in London too.

Unions discuss joint action - but when will it be called?!

Yesterday's joint meeting of public sector trade unions gathered together the forces that, together, have the strength to stop this Government's damaging cuts on jobs, pay, pensions and services.

The media headlines and reports about unions discussing action were good to read - but what an opportunity was lost by the TUC tops to announce that that action was now on its way!

Instead of using the media attention to issue a clear call to arms, the impression from the official TUC statement is one of further delay and prevarication. It risks encouraging the Government into thinking that the trade union movement is not serious in standing up to their attacks. Trade union members, knowing that their jobs and pensions are under threat, will also be disappointed that there has not been a clearer lead. 

A Lewisham NUT school rep emailed me to say: "Listening to Today this morning there was talk of the strike ballot and strike not happening until late Summer / Autumn as the TUC is in negotiations with the government. I think this would be a mistake and should be avoided as we have built up a fair level of momentum and this would be dissipated if we go down this "put off till tomorrow strategy". Surely a strike by all public sector unions not only gives negotiators more clout but also energises the strikers themselves? I feel this would be a big strategic and tactical error". 

Fortunately, this need for greater urgency was made clear by some of the left-led unions within the TUC meeting. The NUT Executive is meeting again on February 10th to discuss what now needs to be done.

The revolution is being televised

Trade unionists will have been inspired by the revolutionary movements spreading from Tunisia to Egypt and beyond. With great courage,workers and youth have risen up against these dictatorial regimes, overcoming the fear of decades.

Teachers have played their part too. In Tunisia, when the ‘interim’ regime ordered schools to be re-opened on Monday, teachers immediately engaged in solid strike action. The participation was 100% in Medenine, Sidi Bouzid, Kasserine, Beja, Jendouba and Kairouan, 90% in Zaghouan (near Tunis) where there is no union tradition, and solid in Tunis. 

Events are still moving with great speed - look out for analysis and updates on http://www.socialistworld.net

PENSIONS - It's Official - this is robbery

Since the NUT Executive last met, more evidence has emerged of the threats to our pensions. On 7 January, the Department of Education wrote to the Union to say that the Chancellor wants to announce the proposed increases in our pensions contributions in the Budget on March 23rd. (UPDATE - they've agreed to postpone the decision until the summer).

So, before Lord Hutton has even issued his final pensions report - and without any valuation to justify these increases (see below) - the Con-Dems have already decided we’ll be paying more - much more - from our pay.

The letter says that proposed increases will be phased in over three years. But by 2014, the proportion of pay taken for pensions could go up from 6.4% to 9.8%.
Whatever your age or salary, this would be a big pay cut:
Inner London Salary             3.5% extra from your pay 
M1 = £27,000 p.a.         = £79 MONTHLY PAY CUT
M6 = £36,387 p.a.        = £106 MONTHLY PAY CUT
U1 = £41,497 p.a.         = £121 MONTHLY PAY CUT
U3 = £45,000 p.a.         = £131 MONTHLY PAY CUT

There’s no need for our pension contributions to go up.

That’s the clear message from statistics contained in a National Audit Office report published last month. The Report confirms that the changes agreed between Unions and the Government after our last campaign are “on course to deliver substantial savings”. In fact, the Government Actuary’s Dept. calculates those changes will cut the cost of public sector pensions by 14%. There is no justification for the proposed contribution hikes!

Of course, life expectancy has been increasing. That’s why one of the ‘savings’ previously agreed was that our contributions would go up from 6.0% to 6.4% in 2007. But this was based on a proper valuation of the scheme looking at all the relevant statistics. There has been NO new valuation made to justify what the Government is imposing. This is unjustified robbery. We have to stop it.

ACADEMIES - Government Agenda Exposed

NUT Executive members have been sent a copy of a letter written by Government Minister, Lord Hill, that exposes exactly how they want to use Academies to rip up teachers’ national pay and conditions.

It makes clear that “we consider the ability to set the pay and conditions of staff to be one of the key freedoms of Academy status”. Disgracefully, it goes on to imply that a school that agrees with unions to maintain national conditions might have its Academy application rejected!

National Shop Stewards Network elects Anti-Cuts Campaign Committee

A packed NSSN meeting voted at the end of a well-balanced debate to set up an anti-cuts campaign commitee of six trade unionists plus five representatives from anti-cuts campaigns.

The vote of 305 to 89 (only taken from the trade union delegates attending) showed that there was clear support for the proposal. I was elected on to the commitee to particularly add the voice of teachers, alongside reps from other unions such as PCS, UNISON, FBU and RMT - who will be represented by their National President Alex Gordon.

I was pleased to meet reps that attended from public sector unions in Bexley, Bromley, Grenwich and Lewisham who were all keen to co-ordinate our work in SE London aginst cuts and attacks on terms and conditions and had been impressed by the democratic way in which the debate had been conducted.

Unions meet to hammer out joint action on pensions

The Government is after our pensions - so we want to defeat their attacks through joint action.

That was the message from last week's NUT Executive - although no definite timetable for action was yet fixed. We hope that this will be the outcome of a specially covened joint meeting between a range of public sector and teaching unions being held on January 28th.

In turn, a special additional meeting of the NUT Executive is being held on February 10th to consider what is hammered out between the unions and (this time I hope!) should agree our ballot timetable.

Meetings support ballot alongside UCU

Both last night's Lewisham NUT General Meeting and a lunchtime meeting today at Islington 6th Form Centre agreed that the right choice for the NUT Executive to make this week would be to agree to a pensions ballot timetable that allows us to take a first day of action alongside the UCU in March.

There was a wide-ranging and considered discussion at both meetings about the mood of teachers and the threats that we face. Some of the Islington teachers were particularly persuaded by the fact that the NUT can show that there is no 'black-hole' in the Teachers Pension Scheme that requires our pension contributions to rise by £100 a month!

As the latest National NUT leaflet points out:

• The National Audit Office has confirmed that the changes already made in 2007 are "on course to deliver substantial savings" as planned

• The Government's Actuary Department calculates that those changes will cut the cost of public sector pensions by 14%

If costs are already set to fall, these latest attacks aren't needed to fund our pensions. No, it's plain robbery to help balance the Government's books at our expense - while the top bankers who were to blame for the crisis keep raking in their bonuses.

Who can afford to lose £100 a month, when today's news showed that inflation is surging upwards? I hope the NUT Executive also agrees that it's now time to launch the ballot.

Action mounts to defend conditions and services in Lewisham

Today's SERTUC Day of Action against cuts encouraged unions and campaigners to get out onto the streets across London and the South-East.

In Lewisham, over twenty campaigners, including members of PCS, NUT, UNISON and the Trades Council, gathered outside 'Opening Doors', the unemployed advice centre in Lewisham High Street that is facing closure. Hundreds of leaflets were given out publicising our Lewisham 'Carnival Against Cuts' on February 19 and the national TUC Demo on March 26.

The NUT brought a map showing where the cuts will fall across Lewisham - especially cuts to over 400 jobs, library closures and big cuts to Early Years.

Since the Council announced after Xmas that their cuts target for 2011/12 had gone up from £20M to £33M, the nationally renowned Lewisham Early Years Advice and Resource Network has been told it faces the axe. Next week, all staff in the Four Children's Centres Areas have been called to meetings to discuss 'their future'. We fear that they will be told that huge cuts are to be made. Teachers and parents will not accept these cuts without a fight. We are preparing a campaign to defend Early Years - such a vital start to education for all our youngsters.

That's not the only big battle now in the offing. Last week, unions were also told that the Council wants to slash terms and conditions, including cutting redundancy pay, adding an hour on the working week, cutting holidays and freezing annual increments. These attacks are already spreading from borough to borough across South London - unions have to stand up to them in Lewisham.

Lewisham NUT's General Meeting on Monday will be debating an emergency motion to consider whether we should ballot members across Lewisham to fight these attacks. (UPDATE: We agreed unanimously to survey members support for action and to decide at our next meeting in February whether to proceed to a formal strike ballot)

Tidemill Governors Challenged Over Academy Decision

Press Release:Save Tidemill Primary School Campaign

Friday 14th January 2011

Country’s highest paid Superhead Mark Elms gets maths wrong in academy bid

The governors at Tidemill Primary School in Deptford are about to withdraw their application to become an academy. Though the school governors previously voted 8 to 5 on the 2nd of December 2010 to take the school into academy status, it has recently come to light that the financial breakdown presented by Mark Elms was in fact seriously flawed. Solicitors Leigh Day & Co acting on behalf of Leila Galloway, a parent of two children at the school, have received strong indications that the school is minded to withdraw its application before being drawn into an application where they would be subjected to a Judicial Review.

 
Although campaigners maintain that there were many flaws in the schools proposal and consultation process it appears that the main reason for the school withdrawing its application rests on a set of seriously flawed figures.

 

There is more than one miscalculation. One glaring example is where the school estimated that it would cost them £60,000 to pay for additional services normally provided by the LEA when in fact the DOE’s estimate is £78,000 and the LEA estimates the figure to be in excess of £229,000.

All schools that apply for academy status are also mandated to undertake an Equality Impact Assessment. It would appear the school has not done this.

Leila Galloway and local campaigners maintain that this is a victory for parents and local residents. Many people feel that the whole process has been rushed and important decisions made without fully exploring the implications of such a profound and irreversible change.


For further information please contact:

Leila: 07766710638 or 02086928939

Email: leila.galloway@gmail.com

Website: www.academies sayingno.org

Pensions ballot - we can't delay!

LET's TAKE ACTION TO SAY NO to 10% CONTRIBUTIONS!

With the UCU posed to announce a ballot for action on pensions at the end of January, I hope that the NUT Executive next week will agree to call a co-ordinated ballot of our members too. (UPDATE: UCU ballot of Teacher Pension Scheme members confirmed for Feb 23 to March 11)

Above all, an early ballot makes sure that we are showing our strength before the Tories and Hutton make final decisions - not afterwards when its harder to force them back.


But the latest news that the Government wants to finalise its plans to increase our pension contribution rates to around 10% of salaries - an extra 3.5% - by mid-February - in time for the March 23rd Budget - surely confirms that there can be no question of delaying our ballot.

RETURN YOUR SURVEYS AND SUPPORT STRIKE ACTION!

Return your Pensions Survey!

RETURN YOUR SURVEY AND SUPPORT ACTION TO DEFEND PENSIONS!

NUT members should have received an email with a survey about the pensions campaign.
The link to the survey is
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NUTpensionsJan10

10 REASONS WHY IT’S TIME TO ACT:

1. Around £100 a month will be stolen from your salary. Pension contributions could go up from 6.4% to 10% of salary. That’s on top of a ‘pay freeze’ while inflation rises.

2. £70,000 more may be robbed from you over your retirement. The switch from RPI to the CPI will hugely cut your total pension income during your retirement.

3. Yet more money could go in a new ‘career-average’ scheme. Hutton is cooking up yet more ways of cutting our pensions. We need action to warn him off.

4. You might be 68 before you get your (cut) pension in full. Normal pension age may go up to 65 for all - or even higher to match the rising state pension age.

5. If you choose to retire ‘early’ at 60, you’ll lose £1,000s. Retiring at 60 - or even 62 - would then count as ‘early retirement’ so that you would lose your full entitlement.

6. Our pension scheme costs are falling. This is just robbery. Hutton’s own figures confirm our scheme is affordable. Why should teachers’ pensions be cut to pay off the bankers’ gambling debts?

7. Most teachers are women - but they could be hardest hit. Women are most likely to have breaks in pensionable service - and to live longer too.

8. We have a good pensions scheme - let’s keep it that way. If you’re feeling the squeeze already, don’t opt out of your pension - fight to defend it.

9. The threat of action made the last Government retreat. Joint campaigns in 2005-6 forced Labour to retreat from most of its pension attacks.

10. Strike action can make this Government think again too. The Con-Dems are unpopular and divided. Firm trade union action can defend our pensions.

Don't let unaccountable Academies dismantle Local Authority schooling

Most schools are rejecting the Government’s invitation to become an Academy – and rightly so.

Any financial advantage that they might make from the move would come at the expense of the central Local Authority budget, reducing their ability to support other schools and families.  Governors are being bribed by the Government to accelerate a divisive agenda to break-up comprehensive Local Authority schooling.

Simple ‘economies of scale’ says that an individual school will find it harder to purchase all the services currently provided by Local Authorities at a cheaper cost.  They will either end up paying more for services or join larger federations relying on privatised services. Chains of unaccountable education businesses will end up replacing elected Local Authorities– just as the Government intends.

What have you got planned for the SERTUC anti-cuts Day of Action on Jan 15?

There was a productive meeting of the SE Region TUC Public Services Committee this morning, with the NUT - and many other public sector unions - well represented. The key focus was obviously how to build anti-cuts campaigns across the Region, especially publicising and building a turnout for the March 26th demonstration.

As an immediate focus, local trade unions and campaigners should make sure they have made plans for street stalls and stunts on the SERTUC day of Action on Saturday January 15th. SERTUC have produced a leaflet especially for use on the day.
In Lewisham, we'll be in Lewisham High Street from 11am with a baoard showing a map of Lewisham and highlighting where the cuts will be hitting local services, workers and residents. We'll be asking members of the public to add their examples too and publicising our Lewisham Anti-Cuts Carnival on Feb 19th.

They'll be plenty to campaign about locally:
    * Lewisham Council are now saying that the devastating £60 Million cuts package that they have already announced might now have to go up as high as £87Million!
    * As the NUT has warned, the Council have confirmed that the 'pupil premium' will not offset other cuts to school budgets - overall the schools budget will be down by over £1 Million

There were good reports from across the SERTUC Region of activities and events being organised, both in London boroughs and towns across the South-East. Unions were urged to co-ordinate locally to jointly book transport to the March 26th demonstration. There are also discussions about possible feeder marches from some London boroughs.

The meeting also discussed a range of developing public sector disputes, including the threat in several Authorities to worsen terms and conditions for council staff and, in particular, possible timescales for organising co-ordinated action on pensions. The UCU delegate confirmed that lecturers are definitely balloting for strike action on pensions at the end of the month and I reported that the NUT Executive will be making decisions about the action we might take at our meeting on January 20th.

Return your NUT Survey - and support strike action on pensions!

2011 could be a decisive year for teacher trade unionists. Are we going to let our national conditions and pensions be slashed? Or are we going to take action to make the Government think again?
November’s NUT Executive agreed unanimously that we prepare a campaigning timetable building up to a ballot for strike action in the spring term to defend pensions.

But December’s meeting put off any final decisions until the next National Executive on 20 January. Since then, the UCU lecturers’ union have confirmed that they will be balloting their members for pensions action in March. Surely we can’t miss this opportunity to follow the students’ action with a complete shutdown of schools and colleges in a united defence of our pensions? We should show our strength and make Hutton back-off before he issues his final Commission Report in late March.

December's Executive took some important steps - asking NUT Divisions to carry out a ‘clean-up’ of their membership records ready for the ballot & agreeing the vote would be for ‘discontinuous’ action - not just a one day strike.

However, some on the Executive are still not confident - and they’ll be looking at the results of an e-mail survey on the pensions campaign being sent to NUT members from January 6th. Please send it back - giving your support for strike action - so that the whole Executive can be in doubt what needs to be done.

10 REASONS WHY IT’S TIME TO ACT:
1. Around £100 a month will be stolen from your salary. Pension contributions could go up from 6.4% to 10% of salary. That’s on top of a ‘pay freeze’ while inflation rises.

2. £70,000 more may be robbed from you over your retirement. The switch from RPI to the CPI will hugely cut your total pension income during your retirement.

3. Yet more money could go in a new ‘career-average’ scheme. Hutton is cooking up yet more ways of cutting our pensions. We need action to warn him off.

4. You might be 68 before you get your (cut) pension in full. Normal pension age may go up to 65 for all - or even higher to match the rising state pension age.

5. If you choose to retire ‘early’ at 60, you’ll lose £1,000s. Retiring at 60 - or even 62 - would then count as ‘early retirement’ so that you would lose your full entitlement.

6. Our pension scheme costs are falling. This is just robbery. Hutton’s own figures confirm our scheme is affordable. Why should teachers’ pensions be cut to pay off the bankers’ gambling debts?

7. Most teachers are women - but they could be hardest hit. Women are most likely to have breaks in pensionable service - and to live longer too.

8. We have a good pensions scheme - let’s keep it that way. If you’re feeling the squeeze already, don’t opt out of your pension - fight to defend it.

9. The threat of action made the last Government retreat. Joint campaigns in 2005-6 forced Labour to retreat from most of its pension attacks.

10. Strike action can make this Government think again too. The Con-Dems are unpopular and divided. Firm trade union action can defend our pensions.

Make a resolution - to defend our schools, jobs and pensions

JANUARY is always a time for making resolutions - and some don't last for long!

 But every NUT member needs to make a firm resolution for 2011 - that we’re all going to stand together to defend teachers and education from the attacks that are coming our way this year.

2010 saw the beginning of the Con-Dem’s attacks on education - cuts to council budgets, plans for more academies and free schools, cuts to the EMA and increased tuition fees, plus  Hutton’s first report on pensions.

But 2011 could be a decisive year for teacher trade unionists. Are we going to let our national conditions and pensions be   slashed?  Our schools cut and privatised? Or are we going to take the action needed to make the Government think again?

Their cuts and attacks are NOT necessary and - as long as we organise - NOT inevitable either. Instead of allowing them to ruin young people’s futures and teachers’ livelihoods through cuts that will only plunge the economy into a deeper downturn, we have to make a stand.

2010 saw the start of the fightback. Trade union banners were dusted off for local lobbies and regional demonstrations. The student demos at the end of the year showed that Britain could follow in the steps of countries like France, Greece, Spain and Portugal where huge protests and strikes have already taken place against cuts.

Now, in 2011, the trade union movement has to quickly make a choice. Do we meekly retreat or organise firm action? Surely, the answer is clear to all of us.

But, if we are to stand up for services, then it’s a step that ALL of us need to take. So don’t just leave it to your school rep or the Union ‘regulars’. Take a note of these diary dates - and join in!

January 15: In London, start the year on a local stall for the SERTUC Day of Action
January 20: NUT National Executive meets to debate timetable for strike ballot on pensions - make sure you make your views known beforehand in the NUT e-mail survey!
January 22: National Shop Stewards Network Anti-Cuts Conference, 11.30 - 3.30 in South Camden Community School, London NW1.
January 29: Youth Fight for Jobs, Education and the EMA. Show solidarity with our students. Join the demonstrations in London and Manchester.
February 19: Lewisham Anti-Cuts Carnival - join the march from Catford to Lewisham
March 26: 11am Victoria Embankment for the TUC March to Hyde Park