nta final 2016 17 oct - newham teachers address two.pdf ·...
TRANSCRIPT
Vote for a Progressive, Representative, Active Union!
Newham teachers and schools are facing tough times. In addition to drastic funding cuts, we are threatened with selective education. This means more cuts for our schools, both maintained and academy. Onerous workload, poor performance management and assessment demands mean long hours, rising stress, illness, exhaustion and low morale; teachers are being driven out of the profession and pupils’ education suffers.
We are in urgent need of a strong local association to support teachers in schools, defend conditions, resist workload and management pressures, and insist on fair practices.
This election, you can vote for a team of classroom-‐based NTA Officers and Committee. We are a good strong team, younger, more diverse, with a wealth of active union experience, better able to understand and respond to the pressures and changes we are dealing with every day at work.
Seven of us teach in primary schools, well-‐placed to lead on the primary assessment and SATs campaigns; seven are current, or recent, secondary sector reps who support members daily; four are involved in the sixth form sector action over cuts and workload. Five of us were on the Increased Membership Participation Working Party, whose recommendations will help build an active union branch in Newham.
WE WILL ensure greater union democracy; establish network meetings at different sites to involve more members and address specific issues facing those in academies or threatened by privatisation. We will sustain school groups taking action in defence of pay and conditions, using the new ‘Action Short of Strike Action’ (ASOS) guidelines; we will promote equality, anti-‐racism, LGBT+ awareness and defend inclusion.
MOST IMPORTANTLY – TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE MUST ELECT A NEW NTA SECRETARY Louise Cuffaro is NUT rep at Avenue Primary. She has been an active NTA officer and committee member for many years. She has proven, through consistent principle and determination, that a strong school union group can successfully defend individual teachers and working conditions for all. In 2014, she led a successful strike at Avenue that won a union amendment to school pay policy. Louise’s evident abilities and her determination to build an active, democratic, fighting union are what the NTA needs now!
FOR A STRONGER LOCAL UNION, VOTE FOR:
Secretary: Louise Cuffaro Vice-‐President: Tasneem Khonat-‐Riley Membership Secretary: Rob Behan International: Miriam Scharf Editor and Press Officer: Rob Ferguson
Teacher Primary Rep Louise Cuffaro Secretary Newham Teachers’ Panel: Louise Cuffaro Equal Opportunities Officer: Sonia Ali Teacher Support Secretary: Carolyn McGrath Young Teachers: Tasneem Khonat-‐Riley Teacher Governor Rep: Kateryna Konstantynova
Also vote for our NUT Conference delegates:
Sonia Ali Rob Behan Louise Cuffaro George Fuller Rob Ferguson
Iain Hale Jake Jones Paul Paluch-‐Edwards Moyra Samuels Miriam Scharf
Conference Delegates play a key role in deciding Union policy. You need school-‐based delegates who will vote for progressive policy that defends you and the rights of the children you teach.
Elected Unopposed: Assistant Secretary: Iain Hale; H&S Adviser: Zillay Khan; LGBT+: Jake Jones; Newham Teachers Panel: Louise Cuffaro, Iain Hale; Safety Committee: Annila Iqbal, Zillay Khan, Halima Khatun, Carolyn McGrath; Regional Council: Iain Hale, Kateryna Kostantynova, Susan Phillips Teacher (Secondary) Rep: George Fuller; Delegates Newham Trades Council:Ruth Craven, Andy Brown, Halima Khatun, Annila Iqbal, Susan Phillips
Vote for Change -‐ Vote for a Union that Represents the Interests of NUT Members in Schools and Colleges
PLEASE VOTE FOR OUR CANDIDATES:
Vice President: Tasneem Khonat-‐Riley As a classroom teacher I know the issues we face. I am active in our school union group that has defended members working conditions and on appraisal outcomes. We also had a successful strike on pay. I want to help build similar success in other schools. I have been a union officer and committee member for the last 2 years. I have been a member of the Working Party on Increased Membership Participation, whose recommendations I now want to put into practice to build our local union. I support inclusion of teaching assistants in the National Education Union plans.
Membership Secretary: Rob Behan This year I was elected joint NUT rep with Paul Paluch-‐Edwards at NewVIc. We have an active union group, organising against the cuts, threatened redundancies, increased workload and continual pressures on staff. I want to encourage NUT reps in recruiting and supporting members, especially NQTs. I hope to expand the number of school-‐based reps and have regular NTA NUT rep meetings. Improving electronic communication with members will be a priority.
Editor and Press Officer: Rob Ferguson I have been an active union member in the NUT for 10 years with long experience as a trade union rep. I am experienced in liaising with the press and journalists. I have taken an active role in promoting national union campaigns and as a national anti-‐racist campaigner. With a strong local union team I will help ensure a higher profile for national and local campaigns, creating a positive image of the Newham Association and our union’s educational values amongst the wider public.
Equal Opportunities Officer: Sonia Ali Having two young children I appreciate the difficulties facing parents in finding time for union activity. My priority is workload. It is killing us! As EO this year I attended the Working Party on Increased Participation. Our recommendations, especially Tuesday training sessions, will help members find it easier to get involved. Collective action on workload using the ASOS guidelines, and spreading this across Newham schools, is my ambition. As with all our candidates, I support the union’s commitment to Stand Up to Racism.
Teacher Support Network Secretary (TSN): Carolyn McGrath As an EAL teacher in Newham for almost 30 years and currently NUT school rep, I see how hard it can be for teachers to take care of themselves; the school-‐day, work pressures and home life are increasingly difficult to combine. I want to improve communication with members to ensure everyone knows how to access the wide range of support the NUT offers. I look forward to working in a new NTA officer team to improve the conditions health and well-‐being of members.
International Officer: Miriam Scharf I have a deep commitment to the national union’s involvement in international solidarity work. As IO this year, I initiated work on Middle East and North Africa Solidarity (MENA) and Egypt Solidarity at national, London and local levels; I continued our long-‐standing Palestine Solidarity Campaign work. I am involved with local refugee support, including visits to Calais.
WE WILL ensure that YOUR subscription is used to campaign for NUT members in schools, to support and defend YOU. WE WILL align OUR local NUT association to national union and more forward looking and progressive policy.