THE NUT conference in Blackpool this Easter will meet against the backdrop of the massive underfunding crisis afflicting education.
Local Education Authorities are slashing school budgets, leading to thousands of teachers facing the sack. Isolated strikes by NUT Divisions (branches covering an LEA) -including Newcastle, Oxfordshire, Ealing, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and many others - have failed to stem the flood of iob losses.
A national campaign is the only way to defeat the cuts, which emanate from the Tory Motions and amendment demoralisation will set in. at the conference from the Socialist Teachers' Alliance and the Campaign for a Democratic and Fighting Union seek to commit the NUT FACE, to launch such a campaign with a national one-day strike in the Summer.
This will be the central de- a front for the Socialist Workers' Party. The success FACE's national demonstration on March 25, and the massive support the campaign has received from parents, governors and NUT members, make it difficult for the leadership to maintain their opposition. Demonstration The left should seek to commit the NUT to support the next demonstration, planned for September. With bate at the conference. If the official backing there could right-wing led Executive can be hundreds of thousands on fend off calls for national ac- the streets of London.
Although the SATs boytion there is a very real risk that the anger and confidence cott has been called off, it of teachers, reflected in a remains very much a live isstring of 'Yes' votes nation- sue. The Executive try to hide wide, will be dissipated and their capitulation behind the fig leaf of having 'won' a reThe issue of national ac- view and continued opposition against the cuts will call tion to league tables.
The problem for the uninto question the NUT's scandalous attitude towards ion's right wing this that this 'Fight Against Cuts in puts the NUT in opposition to Education'. NUT General Labour's education policies, Secretary Doug McAvoy has which are now practically intried to characterise FACE as distinguishable from those of the Tories. They are desperate to ditch any reference to renew-. of the ing the boycott if the review fails to meet the principles DUCATION CUTS they outlined six months previously.
If the left avoids merely denouncing this sell out, which was endorsed three to one by the membership, it can win a majority for continuing an effective campaign against government education policies.
The simple faith of the leadership in the ability of the TUC and a 'high profile campaign' with no strategy to improve pay will produce a left-right split.
As usual they will bitterly oppose the alternative of linking up with other public sector unions in coordinated strike action.
It is essential the left links pay to the broader issue of education funding.
Even if the conference agrees to the sort of campaign that is needed to break the Tories public sector pay policy, the membership will need a lot of convincing that their pay won't be at the expense of other teachers' jobs.