NEWSLETTER - FEBRUARY 2006

UNION'S FIGHT AGAINST ACADEMIES COMES TO BRADFORD

Bradford NUT has organised a Public Meeting on Academies and the White Paper on Education to take place on February 7th ( tomorrow by the time you read this).

As you know, the Cathedral College is re-opening as an Academy in September 2007, Dixon’s CTC has already become one, and Rhodesway, Wyke Manor and possibly Carlton Bolling College are in the firing line.
In view of this situation, and the veil of secrecy thrown over the Academy programme by the DfES, it is crucial at this stage to raise awareness of the issue amongst the public, local politicians and teachers.

Why We Oppose Academies

* they threaten teachers' salaries and conditions of service;
* they threaten your right to be represented by a trade union;
* they threaten the local authority’s ability to run a fair school’s admissions policy;
* they threaten the principle of a broad and balanced curriculum.
* they threaten the local democratic accountability of schools – Academies are independent schools run not by the LEA but by private sponsors.

Academies in Bradford will affect all teachers, not just those who work in them. Now is the time to do something to stop them.
If you want to find out more, come to the meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNION STRIKES OVER PAY CUTS

NUT members in two neighbouring authorities are showing determination in resisting new management structures. Twenty-one NUT members at Todmorden High School in Calderdale, and fifty at Boston Spa School in Leeds, have now taken strike action on two days over threats to cut salaries.

In Bradford, indicative ballots are being considered in two schools where there is still a gap between what the management wants and what is acceptable to the NUT.
This is part of a bigger picture in which the NUT nationally is taking action to prevent school managements from taking money away from people in the re-stucturing process which was backed by the other unions.

The action across the country has generally been successful. Where problems have arisen the Union has in most cases been able to solve them through negotiation. When that has not brought results, school managements have often backed down after an indicative ballot and agreed to find the money.

But there may well be situations which the Union does not know about, where support is needed to protect members’ pay. Please contact the office if you are unhappy about what is happening at your school.

As members at Todmorden and Boston Spa fight on, they would greatly appreciate messages of support from school NUT groups. Please send to the NUT reps at

Todmorden High School
Ewood Lane
Todmorden
Lancs. 0L14 7DG

Boston Spa School
Clifford Moor Rd
Boston Spa
Leeds LS23 6RW

 

STOP THE WAR DEMO -MARCH 18th

At the last General Meeting members voted to support the Stop The War in Iraq Demonstration in London on March 18th. We are planning to book a limited number of train tickets. If you would like to go, ring the Union office. The Stop the War Coalition is also running a coach.

 

Bradford NUT,
22 Edmund St, BD5 0BH.
Tel:01274 414664 - Fax:01274 414665
e-mail: "name"@bradfordnut.org

 

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