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NEWS • VIEWS • INFORMATION • ADVICE
JVP election: win for Durham activist
(Photo of Mick Lyons)
Mick Lyons, NASUWT National Executive Member, has been elected to serve as the Union’s Junior Vice- President for 2011/12.
Mick will begin his four-year term as National Officer from Annual Conference in April, becoming National President in 2013.
A teacher of science at Belmont Community Arts College in County Durham, Mick has been a member of the NASUWT since 1978, beginning his Union career as Assistant Secretary for the City of Durham branch before stepping up to become Branch Secretary. He then became a Negotiating Secretary for Durham Federation before being elected as National Executive Member for District 1 in 2000, representing members in the Newcastle, Sunderland and County Durham area.
Mick currently serves as Vice- Chair of the NASUWT’s Training Committee and Chair of the Union’s Health and Safety Committee.
Putting this experience into practice to defend and improve the health and safety of members in the workplace is one of Mick’s concerns as he steps into his new role.
“Maintaining safe, healthy working environments will be an increasing challenge with the scrapping of Building Schools for the Future and the massive cuts in maintenance grants. A key issue will be increasing the number of workplace activists to defend the gains we have made.
“We need to protect our achievements, but the biggest task will be to defend members from the impact of the swingeing cuts and ideological changes we have coming and to maintain the state education system.”
EMA commitment welcomed
The NASUWT has welcomed a commitment by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) to continue funding the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) following its removal in England. The EMA was introduced in 2004 across the UK to offer financial assistance to the most economically di sadvant aged young people wishing to stay in full-time education post-16.
Despite the success of the Scheme in encouraging those from low-income families to remain in learning, the Westminster Coalition Government has announced plans to scrap the EMA for students in England from 31 August.
The decision was heavily criticised by the NASUWT and other groups representing students, particularly in light of promises made by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties during the 2010 General Election campaign to protect financial support for disadvantaged students.
The WAG has now responded to the furore to confirm that it intends to continue funding the EMA for students living in Wales. The move will protect not only Welsh students studying in Wales but also the significant number of young people who live in Wales but study at institutions based in England. The NASUWT believes this decision only serves to yet again highlight the C o a l i t i o n Government’s lack of support for the most needy in our society.
“The WAG has seen sense in continuing to fund the EMA for all Welsh students,” Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said.
“It is clear that, unlike the Coalition Government, they recognise the success that the EMA has had in giving economically disadvantaged students the opportunity to carry on learning.
“It highlights the contrast between the WAG’s recognition of the need to invest in all young people, no matter what their background, and the Coalition Government’s attitude that could potentially leave thousands of students on the scrapheap.”
"The WAG has seen sense in continuing to fund the EMA for all students."
Go online:
www.nasuwt.org.uk/SixthForm
President visits Gibraltar
(Photo captioned: Chris Lines (centre) pictured with Joe Cortes and Peter Caruana.)
(Photo captioned: Chris Lines pictured with members of the NASUWT Gibraltar Executive.)
NASUWT President Chris Lines paid tribute to the work of a long-standing Union activist during a trip to visit members in Gibraltar.
A reception to honour Joe Cortes, who stepped down as President of the NASUWT Gibraltar Association last year, was held during a two-day visit to the island by Mr Lines.
Mr Cortes has served the NASUWT for 39 years and the event was attended by the Chief Minister Peter Caruana, other government ministers, representatives from Gibraltar’s other trade unions and over 100 teachers.
The event capped a busy visit for Mr Lines, which included a meeting with Clive Beltran, Minister for Education and Training, discussions with leaders from the other trade unions on the issues affecting workers on the island and visits to members at three local schools.
Mr Lines also met with members of the NASUWT Gibraltar Executive to discuss at length the issues facing the Union, including teacher workload, workplace bullying, distribution of pupils and conditions of service. Stuart Borastero, who has replaced Mr Cortes as President of the Gibraltar Association, reflected on the importance of the visit to members on the island:
“It was a very worthwhile and enjoyable couple of days that benefited the Local Association as well as providing Chris with an insight into how the NASUWT works in Gibraltar.
“He was able to learn more about the issues affecting teachers in Gibraltar and how the Association is tackling them as well as hearing about the global issues affecting all workers here.
“We were able to discuss the way forward to ensure that we continue to support the needs of all NASUWT members in Gibraltar.”
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