Two final comments on conference

This is my second NUT National Conference and it is crystal
clear that the NUT is an extremely well organised, hard
working and effective trade union.

The opening session this year included an inspirational
speech by Mark Serwotka who explained that the Public
Sector workers he represents are taking strike action on 1st
May to improve his members' pay and to make a strong
statement in defence of state ownership and provision of our
public services.

To the NUT members present his speech was inspirational and
resounded with commonsense. He has been quoted in many NUT
speeches at the conference since.
The admiration stems from the fact that teachers and school
representatives, indeed all members of the NUT, have to take
so much of what they do at work home after the teaching part
of the day is finished. This makes it very difficult on
occasions to find all the time and necessary energy to fully
engage in all the issues that need addressing to improve our
publically run schools. That the PCS, whose members no doubt
face comparable work pressures as well as being on criminally poor pay, have been
able to become so well organised is inspirational.

Chris

Socialist Party Teachers Fringe Meeting

The two speakers were Jackie Grunsell who stood as a Socialist Party candidate and won a council seat in Calderdale on an anti-cuts platform. She thinks this is the way to go to undermine the BNP. People are unlikely to go for new Labour: the authors of the cuts.

The other speaker was well known to delegates - Martin Powell Davies of Lewisham. He gave an analysis of the conference and how the campaign over workload and performance pay can be taken forward at the same time as the proposed strike over the pay freeze.

Derek