Oversized classes. old buildings, "or education in ine perloo anead, Despite the call by the Labour Party conference to reduce classes to a maximum of 15 by 1980. Crosland has recently sent a circular to all local authorities freezing social expenditure. Such a move, at a time of rapidly rising inflation, drastic cuts in all directions. The 5000 unemployed teachers will grow to 15000, it is estimated, by :his time next year. Class sizes will climb upwards. Building programmes will grind to a halt and many school leavers, returning due to poor job prospects, will face inadequate material resources.
In face of such attacks, the leaders ot ine Nul - ine largest union representing 200, 000 members virtually no answer• Allnougn tormany opposing the cuts, as indeed has the the most they nave concretely done to combat them is to call upon teachers, in highly 'selectivel circumstances, not to cover for absent members.
Their policy can best be summed up in the words of Fred Jarvis (NUT General Secretary) that Ithe union is not looking for a fight!.
inadeauate facilities and teacher -remployment - this is the meaning of the Labour government's policies will mean the late sixties. in particular, "role! - have Group the mounting union to the in 1969, standards.
fresh wage claim, Executive, could no attitudes.
The employers, an appreciation of trade-unionism has spread to a wider layer of the Militant Action This changing attitude - which has found a general reflection in the growth of white-collar unionism -has been reinforced by the entry into teaching of a new generation influenced by the student radicalisation of The new generation, was not hampered by "professionall attitudes and was prepared to question traditional educational values and the teacheris Many of these newer members were to found the Rank and File teachers which grew in strenath because of the failure of the lold left' (mainly Labour and Communist Party supporters) to mobilise the membership against the Executivels inability to fight worsening living standards.
The impact of the vounger teacherc could be seen most dramatically in Executivels acceptance, acreement that would have further hit living Having optained packing from the Annual Conference for a they torced the the following winter, to bring out over half the union's members in some torm ot strike action, Since the NUT had not engaged in any strike since the early twenties - and since the struggle resulted in the biggest increase many teachers Leove Politics out of Inspect INSPEC the MANAGERS the MANAGERS not the NOT TEACHERS Me had ever seen - this was of profound significance in indicating changing Counter-attack sensing the dangers of a new generation of young teachers ready to take militant action, counterattacked the following year by moving against the basic salary scale which had - hitherto - formed the major element in the salary of all teachers.
A system ot separate scales was imposed through the compulsory arbitration process written into the Teachers! Renumeration Act, with increased differentials for those at the top of the school hierarchy. The which gave increases of over £2000 to head teachers our only arou ous to inose at the bottom of the scales, consolraarea inis new structure Its aim was self-evident. carerully des onea to convince most teachers that the solution to their promotion rather than in collective it particularly aimed at splitting the union ane segregating ine young militants from older teachers.
who had at first opposed the idea of separate scales, qui y accomodated to Ii, it ottered the possibility of conso laaling support among older their collaborationist policies and isolatina the vounder many of whom were supporters of Rank and File which continued to struggle against the separate This conflict has dominated NUT The Young Teachers' organisation within the Dave Picton stood as Vice-Presidential candidate of the NUT last year.
union was wound up decause it supported Rank and File and new rules, wien namstrune local oranenes ou the union more tightly than Heath's inaustria merations Act, were pushed through.
even the 'orthodox! left in the union joined in the hysteria. A recent issue of the union journal IThe Teacher! featured an article by CP Max Morris which employed the same red Ismear' tactics against Rank and *le inai ine national press nas used against the Communist Party recenty in ine Acuw elections The union leadership is, right to fear the young militants of Rank and File. the latter represents at present -I nas made mistakes and has showr certain sectarian tendencies - but because it continues to act as the focus for those who wish to hammer oul an alternative to ine collaborat» ionist policies of the NUT leaders. Future This will become doubly true in the coming period when the objective conditions wnich nave strengthenec right-wing attitudes among teachers disappear ever more rapidly. era of expansion is drawing fast to a close and teachers. other industries, will be faced with growing unemployment, ing conditions and the beginning of an lideological backlash! in educational thinking.
If no coherent alternative is provided Off lo ine policies ot the present leaders such a situation could lead to further division and demoralisation. Mank and File could begin to fill the gap by building opposition around al clear programme of action to defenc teachers! jobs, salaries & working conaltions One of the main thrusts of such a tendencv must be to fiaht for the Executive to launch a real struggle acans acrs walca coulen ine future, be linked with that of other trade unionisis in ine public sector. ILTA has already given a lead in this bv calling for a recall of the SE Region TUC Conference against the culs.
One of the major demands stemming from this should be authorities be made to lopen their books! and reveal tor education and tor ine oiner public services.
Demands should also centre around key issues facing teachers in the schools, such as unemployment and inflation. Opposition should be mounted against redundancies, the compulsory transfer of teachers and tor smauer casses which wii create more jobs for students soon to compiele ineir teacher training. Inevitably, in an era of galloping inflation, wages becomes a central issue. Large flat-rate increases, with automatic protection against rises in the cost of living, a key demand. At ine same time, a common basic scale and reduced aitterentials is ine essence or ine wage structure that can further unite teachers.
It is by building opposition around such cemanes ones such as those ending discrimgrowing number of teachers can be involved in struggle.