Executive NEUs May 10th

The JGSs reported:

Covid

· The Union’s stance on wider opening of schools from March vindicated given decline in cases (ONS figures – lowest ever in Primary and lowest since September 2020 in Secondary)

· Weekly reporting with Stephen Hawking Foundation; able to email members as they fall into vaccination cohorts;

Conference

· Huge success and very ably chaired by the President; our commissioned voting/democracy app has been offered to TUC affiliates and adopted by others including CWU at recent digi-conference;

· The Executive noted a first analysis of equality data for delegates/reps and officers; increasing rep diversity; less so at officer level who are 2.5 times likelier to be male than female; geographical variance with delegate diversity; in London and South East, 62% with more than half woman delegates; figure drops below 50% in NW and Wales;

· The 200+ instructions agreed by Conference circulated to Executive for preliminary consideration; necessary to agree strategic plan and focus in relation to implementation;

· Clear steer from prioritisation exercise that workload remains the major concern for activist base reinforced by pre-Conference survey findings (released during Conference) with 61% responding that their wellbeing had worsened over the past year as a result of accountability measures

Extensive multi-year campaign

· The zoom calls to launch the 1265/195 initiative had attracted thousands of members; gives reps an important start point for bargaining; ASCL and NAHT supportive;

· Tackling workload not easy – but key to our relevance to members;

· Launching a multi-year campaign – provisionally ‘Bargaining for Professionalism’ – building on public support for the vital work of the profession; demanding a voice for the profession; building on the success of the ASOS (NUT legacy) and NI (ATL legacy) workload dispute;

· Clarion call – ‘it doesn’t need to be like this!’; underpinned by OECD comparators – 56% of UK teachers ‘stressed all of the time’ – relative OECD figure is 18%;

· TALLIS survey (partial given withdrawal of some UK countries) demonstrates year on year that teacher professionalism directly linked to workload and accountability

· Support reps in conversations with their members and heads; move towards a demand in the autumn term for accountability measures to count towards directed time;

· Campaign to be underpinned by professionalism, skills, experience, curriculum and pedagogical knowledge of SS, teachers and leaders;

· Loss of teachers to the profession (25% within 10 years – a fifth of whom become support staff to stay in profession)

· Social and economic issues compounded with schools in most deprived areas having less experienced teachers; less likely to be qualified in their subject areas;

Finally, the Executive noted a paper on ‘Sectors and Sections’ for future discussion and amendment.

The Executive noted:

o The subscriptions income report

o The report on outstanding annual returns from local structures indicating a slow improvement from March position

· 13 returns are missing from 2019, compared to 13 reported in February 2021; 16 returns are missing from 2020, compared to 21 reported in February 2021

· That the Chair of GPC, the National Treasurer, AGS Business Services and Head of Finance would meet to review the implementation of the protocol.

o report on regional offices

o agreed in principle to the introduction of shared mailboxes for branch officers first to be subject to a pilot;

o the report on Supporting our Reps with points raised in the discussion at MD and US to inform guidance for reps and local offices.

o Revised guidance now being worked on by the office on Long Covid;

o The code of behaviour on social media and use of the NEU logo was deferred to the next meeting;

The Executive agreed:

· Improvements to the NEU Staff Pension Scheme based on feedback during the consultation process which closed at the end of April;

· The appointment of First Actuarial to provide administration, actuarial and investment consultancy service to the Trustees of the NEU Pension Scheme;

· Transfer of contingent asset (HH) to NEU pension scheme overseen by Union Trustees;

· Revisions to the Local Financial Regulations in relation to the payment of honoraria in line with the Conference decision (number/level); and advice to be circulated to districts which have already held their AGMs to be permitted to revisit any decisions on honoraria

· Agreed to re-run the Executive elections in D3, 5 and 6 on the basis that the guarded women candidates were not included on the voting papers against the decision of the JEC Steering Group made in September 2018 that they would appear with “elected according to Rule” marked against them.

· In future Executive elections those elected under the guarding arrangements are included on the ballot paper.

· To accept the bid from Ashly Grove Reality Ltd of £10,777,000 for the sale of 7 Northumberland Street based on proposed terms.

· A proposed rule change to introduce payment of MAT or LA wide sustentation but at a lower level; the Rule Change to go forward to Annual Conference 2022;

· awarding the contract to provide member rewards to Parliament Hill.

· Funding and affiliations – affiliation to the Zero Covid campaign; a donation of £2,000 to the Match Girls’ campaign; donation of £1850 to the Mark Ashton Memorial Plaque; donation of £2,000 to PCS strike fund for DVLA workers; affiliation to the Bevan Foundation; a donation of £10,000 to the People’s Assembly for planned demonstration on 26 June and reviewed the additional information provided and confirmed the donation of £50,000 to SUTR.