implemented. But in doing so he is being blocked by the union bureaucracy and by the right wing majority on the national executive. ere, reaching, beyond the wanse over ne election of one place on the national executive.
Undermined
This is about trying to undermine the rank and file fight over privatisation - the fight to stop the tube sell off and the fight to resist the effects of mainline rail privatisation. ( It is about trying to stop facing education. the growing campaign to free the union's political fund so that we can stop our craven endorsement of a Labour govemment hell bent on attacking our members. that the left is defeated when Knapp and Hince retire in a year or two's time. The right would rather builders W.S.Atkins. aestroy te union than ee the members take control.
We cannot afford to them get away with this. Already a number of Regional Councils have met to denounce this witch-hunt. At the same time the battle contracts level with the President try. ing to defend union democThe RMT deft has to ensure that delegates at this year's reet in doubt of the strength of feeling of the union rank and file on this Gill Lee, ex-President personal capacity PRIVATISATION, teacher shortages and the progressive of Teachers Conference. Members of the union have shown that where there is any call to action, they are ready to respond. Any honeymoon for Tony Blair amongst teachers is Kut the Bo Lot wing) leadership of the union have no answers to the crisis They refused the mandate of last year's conference of a bal. lot to call strike action against performance relaced pay. They have done nothing to prevent the increased privatisa- this very limited no-cover ion of education through PFis action, simply waiting until conand the handing of local educa ference is over before they can tional authorities over to profic- reach a stitch up with the making companies such as roac employers.
The NAS-UWT, with a perIn response to the crisis over haps more compliant memberteacher shortage, the leader- ship, has already ended its ship announced no cover action: proposing to settle for a deal which would undermine hard to carry out, and which in existing contracts and make it any case, was only meant that cheaper for employers to get already over-worked classteners shoule nor work out side the conditions of their room teachers to do overtime.
rather than employ supply Nevertheless, this action has teachers. led to the well-publicised send. No answer ing home of pupils from some This is no solution for the schools, generally met with thousands of pupis who spend support from parents, and had increasing amounts of their time drawing at the back of strike action for better pay. another class's room in priThe leadership are thought to maries. In secondaries they are be planning a rapid sell-out of Broad - but not so left: NUT General Secretary Mc/coy taught by teachers who are not subject specialists, or who are exhausted trying to cope with the demands of their own' machine - or by a succession of supply teachers.
Teacher shortage has brought increased confidence to teachers. This was shown by the nure London rally around an increased London Allowance. and the support, without a campaign, for the cover to contract action.
But the looming recession coull rapidly ater the condi struggle. Already the effects of pertormance related pay are working their way into schools, with teachers increasingly bargaining individually or on a school by school basis for more pay. This is a cultural shift in teaching, where experience as the only legitimate factors in The mis-leadership of the Broad Left should be counter. posed to the role of the left in the union, particularty the Socialist Teachers Alliance which has fought over the last year to continue the campaign against performance related pay, Left-led assooaton orced the NUT leadership to call the London pay rally, and showed at Kingsland school in Hackney how a union should act when confronted by tre victimisation of its members.
Comprehensive The STA has also taken forof comprehensive education and against privatisation through a number of initiatives and conferences involving broader forces The battle between the Broad-left leadership and the fought out at a conference this Easter which will be even more stage-managed than usual. Ten guest speakers have been imited. including the lory spokesperson on education, and three Executive priority motons nave been tidke This will leave very littie room on conference floor for the discussion that really needs to be had: how to defend comprehensive education, pay and conditions against a neo-liberal government intent on breaking union, on privatisation and incretsed selection and division in education.