JGS Report
Value Education: Value Educators
- Re-named and developed from the collective discussions on ‘bargaining for professionalism’
- The Union must adapt to the changing and challenging circumstances and demonstrate our relevance to members
- Continuing atomisation of pay & conditions, workplaces, ITT, members’ access to information (google or twitter)
- Media reports that the Government will attack 1265 and reintroduce KS3 SATs will anger and concern members
- We have no natural right to high membership and strong density; trends pre-covid slowly were downwards
- Build on the strategies we developed during the pandemic that worked well – relevant guidance operating at workplace level; members supported by branch and region; promotion nationally and regionally; engagement with members via national and local zoom calls
- VE:VE is not a campaign but an orientation over time to embed effective ways of working across the Union
- The orientation is supported by national campaigns which will continue, both pedagogical and economic/industrial (noted diagrammatic exposition)
- Robust evidential base and dataset collated by the Union from TALIS and the British Skills and Employment Survey – to be available for reps to support their discussions with their headteachers
- Compelling reasons to listen to the profession and to demonstrate to members that things can and should change
- VE:VE to be launched on World Teachers’ Day (5 October); promoted by national advertising campaign and video; all member mailing; discussion at District & Branch Secretaries’ Briefing (14/15 October) and zoom calls with reps and members on 1 November.
- We all need to work together on this, and Executive members’ leadership role will be a crucial part of the VE:VE delivery
On other matters, Kevin reported that OFSTED’s 30th birthday, will provide the opportunity to refocus our demands for a thorough overhaul of the assessment and accountability regime – with Estyn, too. In discussions with independent SAGE, the data from Scotland, where mitigations remain in place, that infections amongst secondary pupils are now falling/plateauing vindicates the Union’s call for mitigating measures (ventilation, mask wearing, siblings of infected pupils don’t return to school until negative PCR test results). Helpful discussions taking place in Leicestershire (where infections are high but not the highest) to introduce these additional measures. The issue of violence against women and girls has been horrifyingly highlighted by the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. The Government has no plans on prevention, no training programme for education staff and the scale of change we need is significant. Finally, the Union will be participating in the demonstrations at COP26 in both Glasgow (where Kevin will be speaking) and London.
Questions to JGS- Welsh issues (HO)
Started by thanking KC for mentioning Wales in his update and asking if Wales is going to be included in the new pay campaign.
Move on to mentioning that his week the education minister for Wales, Jeremy Miles wrote a letter to the Directors of Education and Headteachers in which he suggested that a solution to staff shortages could be to “double up classes!”
Members across Wales will be disappointed with suggestion as some directors and heads may see this as a reasonable solution.
We currently have a major shortage of supply teachers in Wales. The shortage is specifically affecting Welsh speaking schools, and, in some schools, pupils are being taught in English, instead of Welsh.
Wales currently feels like a postcode lottery – with some authorities imposing extra safety precautions and others imposing the bear minimum. Track and trace issues are also adding to concerns.
We need a strategy not just for England but for Wales as well.
Questions by other exec included issues around Black Lives Matter, Assessments and violence against women.
KC response– vital that Wales is including in this pay campaign.
He absolutely rejected JM idea that classes can be “doubled up”.
Full Executive Meeting
Membership Data- LR
Disability -Issues around self-identification in Wales (less than 2%) and nobody from Wales on the Disabitiy OF.
Executives have been in contact with CJ who has offered to lead a zoom meeting in Wales on self-identification and the social model of disability.
The Executive agreed the following decisions from the five Strategy Committees:
- role descriptions for NC and OF Chairs and the establishment of the SEND OF as per the Conference decision
- that best practice guidance on at least 50% of speaking time for women at local district and branch meetings (circulated in September) being allocated to women be extended to regional/Wales council meetings
- Acceptance of the Sixth Form College Association pay offer as endorsed by 81% of members in the consultative ballot
- The framework pay campaign (final recommendations set out in full at appendix 1)
- The finance/variance report on 31 August which shows a net surplus of actual income over expenditure of £7,794,645
- District Survey questions and a timetable as part of the consultation process in respect of the proposal to implement a rule change requiring at least 50% of Annual Conference delegates be women; with initial results to OSG and final results to November Executive
- To be combined with a District Survey as part of the consultation process in respect of the proposal to implement a rule change on the size of the Executive (questions agreed)
- Funding requests: £1,000 to the Education Media Centre; £10k to the Campaign to stop Fire and Rehire; endorsement of £5k to COP26 Coalition Group; £1k to the Children’s safety Education Foundation; £3k towards the H&S Conference – Invisible Killers at Wembley on 16 March 2022; £1k to Trentham Publishing in their work to publish books on Lifelong Learning and £10k to Women’s Aid to support the work aimed at ending violence against women
- that the by-election in District 11 is combined with any necessary by-election arising from the DGS elections; and the elections to fill vacancies in the NDC/NAC with nominations opening on 1 November, closing on 29 November and any elections from 12 December to 12 January 2022
- that the former ATL HQ building, 7 Northumberland Street, to be sold for £9.5 million
- Elected Mairead Canavan, Gordon White and Wendy Hardy to the Disciplinary Procedures review group which would meet during November to report to the next Executive
- Agreed to sign the declaration ‘make polluters pay’
- Agreed to affiliate to the COP26 coalition
- The Annual Conference timetable:
- Deadline for districts to submit motions 3 December 2021
- Motions sent to districts for priority voting 7 January 2022
- Deadline for Conference Committee nominations 14 February 2022
- Deadline for submission of district delegates & observers 14 February 2022
- Deadline for priority voting 14 February 2022
- Deadline for amendments 14 March 2022
- Accounts, Executive Report, Conference Report, and
- motions available for delegates 14 March 2022
- Deadline for amendments to Executive Report 14 March 2022
- Deadline for changes to delegate and observer lists 28 March 2022
- Printed agenda posted to delegates 28 March 2022
- Deadline for questions to the Treasurer 4 April 2022
Appendix I
PAY CAMPAIGN
- Mount a national pay campaign for a 2022 pay increase for schoolteachers in England which reverses the impact of the 2021 pay freeze policy and begins the process of restoring previous pay losses
- Mount a parallel wider campaign for better pay for teachers in other sectors, teachers in Wales and support staff, seeking to involve those members in activity alongside schoolteacher members in England as far as possible
- Include reference to supply members’ pay and the exploitative role of agencies in pay campaign materials, and develop a strategic leverage campaign to take on agencies over pay, with the aim of forcing them to pay to scale and changing pay across the sector
- Focus members’ attention also on the Union’s calls for pay structure changes and the restoration of collective bargaining for teachers and the need for a national contract for all education workers
- Undertake the activities set out in the attached paper in order to engage & organize members & school groups so as to build campaign momentum & pressure decision makers
- Seek to build support within the Union among lay officers, reps and members via national and regional briefings for officers, regional and branch briefings for reps, and national Zoom calls for members and reps
- Conduct this campaigning work in parallel to the workplace-focused pay implementation and pay progression work already planned
- Survey all members’ views on pay and willingness to support the campaign and take other actions including potentially industrial action
- Survey support members’ views on pay in order to consider next steps after NJC unions have completed their own consultations of members
- Review participation at each stage as a ‘structure test’ and consider at each stage what course of escalating action is possible, including an indicative ballot for national action if they indicate a reasonable chance of meeting thresholds
- Make appropriate preparations in order that membership data and processes are ready for such a ballot when required
- Continue to work jointly with other teacher unions, education unions and public sector unions as far as possible on pay claims and all other activities
- Seek also to work jointly with unions in other sectors, in particular the health sector.
Unity Strength Committee (LM)
Elections: Wales– Ian Watkinson
Minutes- agreed with an update that IW the Chair not convener of H&S committee
Matters arising- National Training Officer- J. Heggerty left and replaced by Ed Lewis. Focus on digital training until Jan. 2022.
District/ Branch Secretaries meeting- online on 14th and 15th October 2021.
Herefordshire District– consulting with members about changes.
Membership Reports– confidential as sensitive data shared, linked to falling numbers and loosing reps, especially Workplace Learning reps.
Wales– Employed Total– 16, 020
Left the profession–
Associate – 202
Fellow – 0
Honorary – 0
Retired – 2,119
Legacy Life – 41
Left the Profession Total – 2, 362
Total Membership- 19, 314
Student recruitment- face to face and online, majority joining online at events and getting an instant membership number and then 70% go to Action NEU.
More and more regions and districts asking for materials for events that are yet to happen.
Reps- Concern that we are losing reps especially workplace union reps across the UK. Specific training going to be put in place, but members of the committee asked if can request info from regions including what plans do regions have to tackle losses, do some regions need support and the fact that local districts will play a vital role in the pay campaign.
Rep losses in Wales- equate to -14% (which is much lower than other regions and districts report)
New Workplace reps- 4
Reps resigning position– 18
Workplace rep- 16
Workplace Learning- 0
Health and Safety- 1
COVID 19 Interim Rep- 1
Discussion around why reps down and it was thought that many have left the profession, some have moved schools and have not taken up role in new school.
Need to look at building teams of reps in schools- joint reps, reps for teachers/ support staff, H & S reps etc, support each other and strategic planning.
Bespoke training for Membership reps and officers with a focus on membership system, going to be piloted in December.
Support staff– issue of support staff not being in a union and how they can be encouraged to join without actively recruiting.
EDAPT- advertising and hijacking google searches on NEU
Honoraria-GPC amendment.
Discussion around whether the amendment was in line with or went significantly beyond what proposed by National Conference.
Conference voted on three issues and amendments to Honoraria already been made and process has changed as a result.
Fight for facilities time could be damaged.
Moribund or districts at risk of becoming moribund discussed and agreed that the current system allows for exceptional circumstances.
Union Strength committee voted against the amendment.
Organising Forums- Background to remit, developing around the role descriptions. Emphasis on organising in OF and request that reports be sent to this committee. Query about who nominates for OFs – should black educators nominate for Black OF?
SEND OF – supported unanimously.
Equalities – reviewunder representation of women- 50 % of attendance to Conference should be women, turnover of exec members more likely to be female, women speakers – encourage in district/ branch and regional meetings.
Activity grants– small number of requests for grants starting to come through.
Member Defence Committee (MD)
The Member defence Committee discussed Reports on 2 conference resolutions:
1. There was a paper on the Black Educators Resolution and Equality Casework Project; The paper set out a long list of concerns from Black NEU members at the November 2020 conference and the paper is about beginning to create solutions for those concerns, It was emphasized how important it is for us all to encourage members to update their equality data (via My NEU) and the fact that there is a new case work system (Seneca) which will be a lot better at collating equalities data in the future.
Discrimination training will be delivered to staff at the Adviceline and regions/Wales on a more consistent basis.
· Level one training has been delivered to all Adviceline and regional/Wales staff.
· Level two training, which will involve the drafting of representations, requests of medical information, subject access and freedom of information act requests and non-statutory discrimination questionnaires for employers, will be rolled out to all regional/Wales caseworkers as soon as training materials have been drafted. The regional/Wales caseworkers continue, in the meantime, to receive training and support from their solicitor colleagues. Going forward, LRW will agree a yearly discrimination training schedule with the Adviceline and regional/Wales offices to ensure that staff are kept constantly up to date with the law and with good practice.
I requested that more regular training around discrimination be provided to reps and secretaries and not just as part of secretaries and reps training as it tends to be now.
2. The second paper was based around the Maternity Rights Resolution and talks about the ongoing review of the Burgundy book which is being updated with changes in the law.
The following actions have been carried out and anticipated in implementation of the resolution.
a. Survey women members on their experiences of being pregnant at work and their subsequent return.
b. Review guidance for women members on pregnancy/maternity rights, including clear advice on health and safety, flexible working, and job shares.
c. Work with Maternity Action to produce guidance specific to the Education sector.
d. Ensure that training of caseworkers, officers and reps specifically includes pregnancy/maternity rights.
e. [Work with districts/branches to] look for opportunities to campaign for improved maternity rights and to ensure that members’ statutory and negotiated rights are upheld.
We have also recommended some enhancements, including:
a. A right not to be made redundant during pregnancy or maternity leave or during the 6 months following the end of maternity leave.
b. A right to return to work on reduced hours or other flexible arrangement after maternity leave or adoption leave.
c. Remove the discretionary element of Adoption leave and pay under paragraph 12 of the BBMS. Statutory adoption leave and pay rights have evolved since the current iteration of the Burgundy Book.
d. Improve the qualifying criteria to take account of service with employers listed in the Modification Order (to reflect the redundancy entitlements). Qualifying for the maternity scheme is more onerous than qualifying for contractual sick pay or redundancy pay.
e. Provide for reciprocal arrangements with Scotland and Northern Ireland so that teachers who move jurisdiction during the qualifying period are able to carry with them their accrued service.
f. To enhance rights for teachers and support staff: Enhance the qualifying criteria to count service as an HLTA etc on Green Book terms & conditions so that women who move roles are able to carry with them their accrued service.
g. Remove the requirement on teachers under paragraph 5 to return to work for 13 weeks in order to retain their full OMP. The requirement is particularly onerous for women who are struggling to secure adequate childcare.
h. Provide for reasonable contact and a contractual right to paid KIT days.
i. Additional contractual maternity leave and pay for mothers of babies born prematurely.
The ERU has also recommended the following improvements to the Burgundy Book that will directly or indirectly support pregnant women and women on maternity leave and parents and carers:
Paternity Leave and Pay – include a contractual entitlement to paid paternity leave at the time of the birth or adoption
Parental Leave and Pay – include a contractual entitlement to paid parental leave for the mother or adopter and their partner for the purposes of caring for the child. The statutory shared parental leave scheme is not working so we should consider developing an alternative contractual scheme. We must be careful not to reduce teachers’ contractual rights.
Bargaining and Negotiations (HO)
Bargaining and Negotiation Committee National Campaign-Value Education, Value Educators PAY CAMPAIGN
The committee discussed: ·
- The NEU national pay campaign for a 2022 – pay increase for school teachers in England which reverses the impact of the 2021 pay freeze policy and begins the process of restoring previous pay losses.
- Mount a parallel wider campaign for better pay for teachers in other sectors, teachers in Wales and support staff ·
- It was also discussed that members in Wales sometimes feel disillusioned by national campaigns and that campaign materials and zoom events need to include Wales at the start of any National Campaign.
- It was also agreed that Supply staff members also needed to be included in the campaign.
- The national strategy for how to move forward with the pay campaign was discussed to Seek to build support within the Union among lay officers, reps and members via national and regional briefings for officers, regional and branch briefings for reps, and national Zoom calls for members and reps as a starting point with a serious of structure tests to review membership engagement.
- Continue to work with other teacher unions, education unions and public sector unions for pay claims.
Sixth Form College Teachers Pay
The Committee agreed to recommend that the NEU should accept the SFCA pay offer as endorsed by 81% of members in the consultative ballot.
Burgundy Book
Discussions took place -about the Burgundy book regarding terminology and legislation.
ELECTIONS
The Committee elected the following:
Wales Committee – Dominic Byrne
NEU Executive news for Wales by Mairead Canavan 