Page 6

Upfront

NUT wins Bilborough 6th form victory

NUT members at Bilborough Sixth Form College, Nottingham, are celebrating success in their fight against compulsory redundancies, increased workload and proposals to employ unqualified teachers as tutors.

Bilborough members took action in April and May. With regional office support, the college reps reached an agreement that will review the workload proposals, including the impact on staff, and withdraw plans to employ unqualified staff to take over tutoring responsibilities.

Defend your rights

The TUC has launched the ‘Employment rights stop employment wrongs’ campaign to highlight how in the UK our rights at work are under threat.

The Government’s proposals include plans to reduce maternity leave and make workers pay a fee before taking a claim to an employment tribunal. Sign the campaign petition and find out more at www.stopemploymentwrongs.org.uk 

Their success shows it is possible to win disputes over plans to cut jobs and pay, despite the funding situation facing sixth form colleges. Funding cuts in the sector are significantly worse than in schools and will amount to reductions of almost a fifth up to 2015. NUT members in the sector are now seeing local attacks on jobs and working conditions on top of the pay freeze.

NUT reps are working hard to protect members against job cuts, restructuring and increased workload. Nationally, the Union is supporting industrial action ballots in a number of colleges across the country. More and more teachers are discovering that union organisation can work for them.

The NUT is lobbying for better funding for colleges, working with the national organisation for sixth form colleges on funding while negotiating with them on pay. The campaign against 16-19 funding cuts is vital for students’ future and is one we must win.

Visit our website for more about the NUT’s campaign for 6th form colleges. www.teachers.org.uk/6fcs/campaign 

Your feelings on phonics

As part of the NUT’s campaign against the new phonics screening check (see page 28), we are emailing a new survey on phonics to all primary members. Please complete and return it to help strengthen our campaign to abolish this test. If you haven’t received your email by the end of June, contact j.ellerby@nut.org.uk

The National Association for the Teaching of English (Nate) and the UK Literacy Association are conducting a survey on the teaching of reading and phonics. Please respond to this at www.surveymonkey.com/s/NATE_phonics

Remembering Ted

Former NUT member and head teacher Ted Short has died aged 99. He became MP for Newcastle Central in 1951 and went on to be deputy Labour leader from 1972 to 1976 and Chief Whip, Postmaster General, Education Secretary (the first ex-headmaster to hold the post) and Leader of the House under Harold Wilson from 1974-76.

He became Lord Glenamara in 1977 and more recently spoke out against tuition fees.