WSTA on Teachers TV

Teachers TV coverage of the conference has interviews with delegates including Alison Baker from WSTA and a guy called Steve Sinnott

You can download this here

One of David Evans' "Millie" cartoons

Click here for the larger version

Action on Stress

From John Illingworth's survey:

"I often wake in the night and can't get back to sleep because I am thinking about work"

Agree: 59%
No view or disagree (obviously) 41%

1) See if you can get a similar survey in your school or in your area

2) A useful outcome would be if any "initiatives" had to take account of the increased teacher stress as well as the possible benefits to pupils, parents or administration.

3) No new initiatives which increase teacher workload in one area can be brought in without initiatives which reduce teacher workload in another area.

The survey, including the questions, can be downloaded from
here

Post your comments here or email them to wsta_addresses(at)yahoo.co.uk using the @ sign in place of the (at)

There is also a discussion of this topic on the education forum

click here

which reveals, among other things, interest in the survey as far afield as Tasmania.

and on the Times Ed website
click here

Crazy about work

A copy of John Illingworth's survey about mental health problems "Crazy about Work" can be downloaded from the WSTA website

here

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

WSTA dominate O and A section

Organisation and Administration was the final section on Monday and WSTA had its largest intervention ever.

Chris spoke for the first time at conference to support the idea of making the conference more accessible to members. Although the Executive motion was passed, we will be putting specific proposals together on this issue for the future.

Derek spoke from experience as helpline co-ordinator about how the union has successfully resisted bullying of NUT members through collective action. The resolution was carryied empowering local members to seek strike action as a last resort to deal with bullying.

Veronica addressed the issue which has come to the fore in West Sussex of the growth of membership needing to be matched with more facilities time for lay officers and more regional officers.

The union has put together a compromise on a political fund. Although a political fund will be established to enable the union to raise education matters with politicians and to oppose racism and fascism, the NUT remains independent of any political party

And we wish a belated happy Easter to our members who were unable to participate in conference.

Conference Blog

So what *is* the union doing for you? Well today Conference passed a motion about how hot your classrooms are allowed to get, and it is a lot less than many are getting at the moment.

So go back to your schools, demand your bursar gets a thermometer for each room and prepare to be a lot less sweaty and fractious.

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Three of us attended the LGBT reception. It was well-attended by delegates and executive members. Great food; non-stop wine and good conversation.

THE place to be on a Sunday evening over Conference weekend.

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The WSTA team came third in the TSN quiz which is no disgrace. Particularly as we beat Martin's Socialist Party team.

Conference Blog

Nick Isherwood, Bob Cross, Angela Ahern, Derek McMillan, Dave Thomas, Chris Perry, Rosemary Howells and Alison Baker were your delegates this year. Here are some of their comments:

Incoming President Baljeet Ghale kicked off with a rousing inaugural speech attacking Blair's failure to deliver and the fact he was spending money on war which could be used for education. She also rejected Johnson's "Britishness" agenda.

The discussion on observations suggested that this has become total overkill and it demoralising a committed workforce.

We should bin the word "satisfactory".

It is depressing to see so many disheartened by big brother tactics. Headship claims that they need to "drop in" to know their school is really due to their lack of self-esteem or confidence.

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There was a very interesting opening presidential speech. She had a real go at the government and said that the British didn't have a monopoly on good behaviour.

It was interesting hearing the plight of young teachers - the difficulty of buyoing a house and coping on a teacher's salary.

At conference there was a re-iterated fear of OFSTED and unhelpful regime which doesn't encourage or help teachers develop their potential.

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Fringe Meeting Saturday 12:45
"Crazy at Work" - John illingworth

Three of us attended the Campaign Teacher meeting on this topic. John showed us a film he had made for the BBC re workload and its effects on teachers' mental health.

He then talked to the meeting re his research among Notts teachers on the stresses felt at work.

Comments were invited from the floor. Lots of delegates were keen to speak of their own experience of feeling threatened by drop-in observations, increased workload stemming from initiatives, meeting targets, standards etc.

One young teacher gave a moving speech telling how she felt overwhelmed by negative criticism from her headteacher. She was feeling she should leave the teaching profession but did not want to as she loves the job. She received applause and thanks from John for feeling able to share this with the rest of the delegates.

We were urged to support the motion on workload - moved by John Illingworth

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Performance Pay

A heated debate which was calling for more industrial action. The Executive warned of the relaties of getting an indicative vote from the members. I must admit that I wouldn't be confident about the level of support in WSTA.

The vote created the first division with the results of the card vote to be announced on Sunday morning.

I felt disappointed that we couldn't have the same level of unity. We must have a clear decision on what we are going to do about performance review.

Presidential Address - a very personal speech with detailed criticism of the Labour Government letting teachers down. The presidint highlighted the number of lost opportunities.

Public Sector pay - a debate which united all factions of the union. The battle lines were drawn for a campaign with the other public sector unions.

Unity - we so need it in the teacher unions!

NUT Conference Saturday 7th April

Today the NUT conference unanimously passed an Executive resolution opposing the proposal to limit public sector pay rises to 2 percent.

The motion stated that the NUT should "prepare to ballot members for a national one-day strike in cooperation with other teachers' organisations and public sector unions as the first stage of any industrial action which is required to protect the pay of teachers and of other public sector workers."

This is seen as a real chance to work together with the other teacher unions to improve the pay of our members.

It is also a chance for a broader public sector alliance. This has been successful in the past in resisting attempts to worsen the pension arrangements in the public sector.

At the time of writing we do not know the result of a ballot to take action over performance management. This went to a division and the votes are still being counted.