ON TUESDAY 1 March NATFHE lecturers at Handsworth Technical College, Birmingham took industrial action to defend their employment contracts.
NATHE has 48,000 members and is resisting the imposition of 'more flexible' contracts which mean cuts in wages, holiday pay and benefits as well as longer hours, extended working days and annually renewable contracts.
Unfortunately NATHE have backed off from calling national industrial action under threat from Tory trade union laws.
Lord Justice Bingham, Master of the Rolls, upheld that, despite a democratic paper ballot, action was illegal because the names and address of members were not submitted to college management.
Only at Handsworth, Southwark and Tower Hamlets was the High Court ruling defied, by about 100 lecturers. Disciplinary action (bills for damages and final written warnings) is threatened and sackings are now possible in Birmingham.
NATHE will not take action against its defiant members but has given no assurances to defend them. Handsworth College Principal Webb alleges lecturers had technically dismissed themselves'.
Defiant
Birmingham NATFHE is defiant and says it will defend its comrades. Mick Barr, Birmingham NATHE branch chair told Birmingham Trades Council "The 51 of our members locked out after our day of action have now been re-instated but may face further discipline. Anger and frustration at the trade union legislation led us to take action to defend jobs and conditions. The High Court ruling means it is now virtually impossible to take official action."
Effective trade unionism is impossible under Tory trade union laws and any instant response to sackings would be impossible within the law.
Geoff Woolf, NATFHE General Secretary said 'I do understand the anger without condoning the action'. Rather feebly the only resistance he is now planning is to call on the TUC and civil liberties organisations to give their support.
Birmingham Trades Council gave assurances that it would back any further action by NATFHE to defend its members interests. • Messages of support should be sent to NATHE office, Handsworth Technical College, Soho Road, Birmingham or telephone 021 666 7554, where there is a 24 hour answerphone service?