Executive NEUs October 2022

JGS Report

• During a tumultuous party conference season, coming so soon after the mini-budget, had seen Labour’s poll ratings soar and open cabinet warfare for the new PM;
• Packed NEU fringe at Labour Conference for the launch of the Free School Meals campaign which won support from the Labour Conference with an emergency motion;
• The Government’s proposals to take a wrecking ball to workers’ rights and protections could see protections gained under the EU such as TUPE, AWR and WTD scrapped allied to the anti-union/worker legislation tightening the already stringent industrial action legislation
• Each Government department charged with looking a Minimum Service Guarantees in health/education/transport and the fire service – could be a minimum number of teaching hours or guaranteed minimum provision for key workers/vulnerable pupils
• Little of substance from Kit Malthouse’s team; more ‘intervention on standards’; Education Bill likely to be quietly dropped;
• In respect of political engagement, the Union is developing a model education manifesto for the Labour Party and colleagues are meeting regularly with Bridget Phillipson and Stephen Morgan;
• The Union’s funding experts were modelling the working on the impact of the 2021 spending review on schools’ budget position over the next two financial years in preparation for the relaunch of the school cuts campaign as the focus for the next general election campaign;

The Executive also endorsed all Strategy Committee reports from July 2022 and agreed the following:

• the variance report for the financial year 2021-22; total income was lower than budgeted but throughout 2021-22 the surpluses reported have been driven by lower than budgeted levels of expenditure mainly resulting from COVID-19 continuing to have an impact on activity levels for the third financial year running. This has resulted in an overall variance of just under £2.5 million
• Arrangements for the retender of the Union’s external audit services
• Agreed to recommend that if there are vacancies for the NDC/NAC at the point nominations close (on 21 October) then current members (who retired during their current period of office) will be invited to join the Committee on a co-opted basis
• Received a report on the staff pay claim negotiations
• Noted the Property Report and agreed:
•  Provisional approval is given for a budget of £200 per square foot for a property search in the North West.
• Approval is given to proceed with the extension to Elm House in the Eastern region.
• Approval, in principle, to the work being undertaken at Hamilton House to relocate the London Regional Office.
• Agreed that the support contract for Civicase remains with the existing supplier and a new contract with Canon for supply, service and maintenance of all multi-functional devices
• Agreed to donate £1k to Education Media Centre; £1k to Children’s Safety Foundation; £10k to the People’s Assembly and £500 to the York Disabled Workers’ Co-operative
• Testing on the AWR Online Tool would begin on 14^th October and it would be launched shortly after that date;
• Agreed the scope for casework/legal assistance for AWR and other ‘ongoing’ breaches such as discrimination claims;
• Member Defence discussed the defending reps in the workplace Conference resolution and the Executive agreed the wording of a required rule change;
• Leigh Seedhouse was elected to the SCMD Legal Appeals Sub Committee;
• A protocol for General Motions and strategy committee agenda
• That the 2023 Executive Awayday would be held on 8 June
• That national Officers should not chair Strategy Committees and there would be an election to replace Phil Clarke as Chair of SC: B&C; tribute was paid to Mr Clarke for his contributions
• Timings and arrangements for the International Committee

Pay campaign and statutory ballots

The JGSs reported that the turnouts in all three preliminary ballots now exceeded 50% with a final tally of 77% of 6FC members voting with 85% in favour of action.  The issues before the Executive were complex and the stakes were high.  Noted the key points in considering the timings for the ballot were maintaining the momentum in the ballot; capitalising on the political situation and the widespread support for action; aligning the ballot period with NASUWT.  The impact of the postal dispute could not be underestimated; with sealed post boxes, difficulties in provision of duplicate ballot papers and uncertainty on how long the dispute would continue.  The Executive agreed:

• the legal basis for all ballots (6FC, Support Staff and Teachers) would be to demand a fully-funded, above inflation pay rise (as measured by September 2022 RPI);
• Teachers and support staff in England and Wales (four separate ballots): Open ballot as soon as possible and no later than Tuesday 1 November; close ballot on Friday 13 January; first possible day of action week commencing 30 January;
• Sixth Form College teachers: open ballot on Monday 17 October; close ballot on Friday 11 Nov; first possible day of action Tuesday 29 November
• A clear strategy to win the formal ballot based on field activity and member engagement;
• support the networking of ballot volunteers within their workplaces
• Before the launch of the statutory ballot in England and Wales members of the Regional Management Team/Management Team Cymru should meet with Executive members to discuss the turnout in the preliminary ballot focusing on areas of strength and weakness and should use the national strategy to plan how staff and Executive members can best work together to build and sustain momentum over the formal ballot period

A contingency of £800,000 was included in the year’s budget to cover the potential costs of a statutory ballot. When the budget was set in July, we had not finalised the statutory ballot arrangements. It is a fast-moving environment with things changing rapidly.  It was anticipated that some of the VE:VE budget would be used to meet the cost of work towards the indicative/preliminary ballot this term, but the reality is that we will go over.  The Executive agreed that the additional spend was approved subject to a robust scrutiny of the spending to date and the proposed spending; and how that overspend can mitigated to ensure any call on the Union’s Reserves is limited as much as possible.

The Executive agreed two resolutions on the COP27 summit (for referral to SC:PRC) and Procedural Issues (for referral to GPC).