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Labels should help you find information. For example if you want to know when the next meeting is, click on "meetings".

For information about the pay campaign click on "pay"

Courses for reps, health and safety reps and much more

Courses for reps, health and safety reps and much more

Click here

As courses fill up we will add new upcoming courses with vacancies to the scoreboard.

Pay campaign information

Reps Training

The reps training course on St Valentine's Day was a big success with Kevin Courtney as the guest speaker.

Even if the union rep "only" takes the mail from the union and puts it up on the notice board he or she is a vital part of the union. Kevin also outlined many other ways in which reps can play a role in the union especially with the upcoming pay ballot.

He stressed that winning the pay ballot will encourage members to battle on issues like Academy Status and workload whereas a defeat on this ballot will encourage management to think teachers will put up with *anything*.




The course dealt with
Disciplinary Procedure
Redundancy
Sickness Policy
Competence

It is important for all union reps or potential union reps to know about these policies. The details are here

Do not hesitate to contact the helpline 01342 410805 if you have any problems.

Reps Course 14th February

The St Valentine's Day NUT Reps Course will be at Field Place.

Click here for details


Veronica Peppiatt of the NUT National Executive
Kevin Courtney of the NUT National Executive

How to deal with
* Disciplinary issues
* Capability procedures
* Sickness absence policy
* Redundancy

If you are an NUT rep and you are interested email
wstalearn@yahoo.co.uk

Adur reorganisation - any questions?

Meeting for NUT members with queries about the Adur reorganisation.

Thursday 6th December
4.30
Shoreham First School

See map

Lunchtime - you are entitled to one!

1.A teacher cannot be required to undertake midday supervision and “shall be allowed a break of reasonable length either between school sessions or between the hours of 12 noon and 2.00 p.m.”. Paragraph 75.6 of Section 2 of the 2005 STPCD refers. Any teacher who volunteers to undertake mid-day supervision is entitled to a free school lunch.

2.Head teachers, deputy head teachers, assistant head teachers, advanced skills and fast track teachers are also entitled to a break of reasonable length, but the STPCD is silent on the issue of whether such staff can be required to undertake midday supervision. NUT policy is that midday supervision should be undertaken by lunchtime supervisors.

3.The NUT’s view of the “break of reasonable length” is that teachers should have an entitlement of at least one hour when they cannot be required to undertake duties, attend meetings or remain on school premises. The lunch break cannot be included in the 1265 hours of directed time.

4.NUT members are strongly advised not to attend meetings convened by management during their lunch break.

No rep in your school?

Often head teachers are unable to consult the union when there is no NUT rep in the school but nobody wants to take on the role because they don't like to put themselves forward or they lack experience.

All of us started out as inexperienced reps!

Also the NUT has excellent training courses at Stoke Rochford which you are entitled to attend - all expenses are paid. For details ring 01342 410805 or email wstalearn(at) yahoo.co.uk

A solution to this problem which has been tried successfully in some larger schools is for the role of the rep to be shared by more than one person.

Salsa Evening 5th October

There will be a Salsa Evening on 5th October at the Hickstead Hotel from 8pm to 11pm. It will begin with an hour's free salsa tuition.

Map of Hickstead Hotel

Free refreshments and soft drinks and there is a licensed bar available.

It will be £5 but free to NQTs and NUT reps.

If you are interested email Dave on davethomas23(at)hotmail.com


Click here for a leaflet to download.

Reps Course Postponed

The proposed reps course which was to have taken place on 10th October has been postponed.

Can my employer change my contract of employment?

A contract of employment is a legal agreement between the
employer and the employee. It contains terms, either express
or implied, which cannot lawfully be changed or varied by
the employer without further agreement from the employee
(either individually or through the trade union). Many terms
of the contract are, of course varied from time to time, by
mutual consent.

For example, it is quite usual for pay to be varied, usually
increased, on a regular basis. In some cases the contract
may contain an express term permitting the employer to make
changes from time to time. These changes would need to be
reasonable. Where changes are made to your contract the law
requires employers to notify you of the change within one
month.

However, that does not change the fact that an unauthorised,
one-sided variation is a breach of the contract of
employment. If such a change is so fundamental that it goes
to the heart of the contract, it may justify the employee's
resignation in protest. Such a resignation, if justified,
would be a 'constructive dismissal'
This information came from
http://www.worksmart.org.uk

Useful websites for union reps

These are the links listed in the TUC publication The Connected
Rep 

As the document is a pdf the links in it will not
work. The links on this page have been tested. 

The problem with using the internet is not a lack of sites for
union reps. It is that there are many. There is an extensive list in
the Connected Reps directory but they single out the following 11 as
especially worthy of your attention.

http://www.unionreps.org.uk

Forum for union reps

http://uin.org.uk

Union ideas network. Links between academic community and
trade unions.

http://www.tuc.org.uk/unionscope

The TUC unionscope project

http://www.labourstart.org/actnow.shtml

National and international trade union campaigns. Despite the
name NOT linked to any polical party.

http://paywizard.co.uk

Guide to average pay rates

http://www.pensionschampions.co.uk

Pension information

http://www.lrd.org.uk/payline

Database
on pay and conditions.

http://www.worksmart.org.uk

How the union can help you at work

http://www.hazards.org

News, campaigns and practical resources on workplace safety

http://www.unionlearn.org.uk

Support and guidance on life long learning
The complete list of websites is available here

Be our 4000th member

At the last count West Sussex Teachers Association was 33 away from its target of 4000 members. The person who becomes our 4000th member will get a meal out at our expense.

You can join immediately by ringing 0845 300 1669

You can join online here

Members in Independent Schools

Members in Independent Schools

Available dates:

* Friday July 20 2007 - Sunday July 22 2007 (Code: IND/07)

Length: 3 days

Are you an NUT member working in an independent school? If so, this course is for you.
You will find out about:
# your rights;
# the support available to you from the NUT;
# key NUT policies; and
# how to become more active in the NUT.

You will have the opportunity to meet colleagues from independent schools in England and Wales. It’s too good to miss!

Who should attend: All members, including representatives, in independent schools.

Please email wstalearn@yahoo.co.uk or ring the helpline 01342 410805

Reps Training day

West Sussex NUT reps training day

The training day for NUT reps is on 7th February and there are still places available. The course is all day and will take place at the Pavillion, Field Place, Durrington, Worthing.
All NUT reps (or people who are considering taking over this role) are welcome to come.

This link will take you to a map and you can get directions from www.theaa.co.uk by typing in your own postcode and BN13 1NP

Interested in going?
Ring the helpline 01342 410805 or email wstalearn@yahoo.co.uk