*Things are going to get worse!" - that was the message of Fred Mulley, Labour Minister for Education, at the National Union of Teachers conference in ScarDorolu ast weerune terenes tenden responded to this crisis situation in the schools by clamping down on local militancy with harsh disciplinary measures, and appealing for unity with the Labour Government - all, of course, served up with fake cries of anger at the cuts.
Mulley bluntly declared: "Education appears to have been the hardest hit, but after social security and health it is. the biggest spender. Obviously it is in line for the biggest cuts. Despite this declaration of war, Fred Jarvis and Alf Wiltshire. General Secretarv and President of the NUT respectively, both made Dieas tor Govemnmen-Nu cooDeraton to 'defend education'. As one delegate put it, this amounted to pleas to the axeman to save the tree by putting the axe in his hand.
Compulsory But not content with stopping any resolutions which put forward a pro• gramme for ngnung the cuts, the exec utive also came to the Government's aid by introducing what amounts to compulsory retirement for teachers at 50, with no provision for an adequate pension, This. they sav. is inevitable when school rolls are falling.
The NUT Executive are verv anxious about ureais to mer amance wiuyuley. The main threat comes not from any likelihood that they will be disillusioned about the Labour Government's intenuons, our trom mutant teacners who no longer accept the promises of "jam tomorrow" which Jarvis and Co so nberally smear onto me crusts ol educa tional provision today. They have decided to clap on the leg-irons.
Militants Following the attack on trades councils through the TUC's Rule 14, the Executive will now play the role of cop in their own union. The new disciplinary measures will empower NUT officers to charge any militant who disobeys their instructions. Anvone charged will be automatically suspended from all unon acava even oerore me chatce has been heard.
ne accused wir nor be anowed legal representation at the hearing. Any appeals will be to the Executive itseit, with the accusing officer stepping out of the room.
Star Chamber Communist Party and NUT Executive member Max Morris turned in a red-baiting performance that even the right wing found it difficult to equal. Ever anxious to prove his "respectability', he praised the new "Star Chamber' as the sole guarantor of 'unity and discipline*. Morris dropped this theme when it came to building unity against the Government's austerity measures or imposing working class discipline on the TUC and Labour leaders.
the bureaucrats. This was reflected in the speech made by Dick North, IS member recently re-elected to the NUT haps the worst package of cuts in the country. In september 19rb every sec ondary school in the country found its staff cut by two, while a further 50 places went from the primary sector -a conservative minimum of at least 210 teacher vacancies frozen. Currently there are over 100 unemployed teachers registerea un the dole in Leicester itself. a figure which will be further swollen in July with those leaving training colleuts the NUT drew up a campaign and elected an Action Committee to fight the But opposition is growing against and we get caned!
Following the NUT Conference in Scarborough last week, JOHN PERRY, a delegate and member of the Leicestershire NUT Divisional Executive, reports on how the struggle of teachers against the cuts in Leicestershire will be affected by these decisions.
Leicestershire LEA has initiated perIn May the Leicestershire Division of Executive, in favour of a resolution from Lambeth NUT which not only opposed incomes policy, but proposed a fighting alternative through the sliding scale of wages. It was also seen in the growing support for such resolutions as that on the Working Women's Charter (although this was still defeated).
supporters or the bocaust cacner: Conference, formed last year to fight for a socialist perspective in the NUT, cuts. Two lines for action were proposed - part time schooling in schools where • vacancies ndo not been muiee ano buDiacacner tarios nas worseneo. *- no cover tor statt absences arter tnree But the NUT National Action Committee did not sanction any official action until the end of February 1976, and then only in the 39 secondary schools and not in the junior schools.
Acceptance by the NUT conference of the Executive's resolution on cuts means tnat oiner areas wno wisn to take action will face the same delays and dilution of local proposals that Leicestershire has faced, leading to frustration were in the forefront of all the major Gebates chauenging me execunve. sup porters of the STC decided that they would hold an open meeting of their co ordinating committee on 15 May in London to discuss the tasks facing militants after the conference and the clampdown on militants.
BERNARD REGAN (East London NUT), ana no ettective action acainst ine cut. The biggest lesson from Leicestershire was not even mentioned in the Executive memorandum - that the fight on staffing alone is totally inadequate if education is to be defended.
Despite the conference's failure to broaden the anti-cuts campaign, the Division is forced to turn to the broad labour movement for support. A broac sheet is being printed, describing the scoDe ano emrects or tne curs. Torois tribution to all union branches affiliated to ine rades council. Duslic secto unions, student unions and councillors.
So far the County has been forced for the first time to provide supply teachers in secondary schools, and hints nave been aropped tndt tnere may De a partial restoration of staffing levels. however une lessons or Leicestersn are that the Executive's proposals are упасерие тю ca тле тота аттвск от education. The sanctions need to be tougher, applied against all cuts, and backed by the wider union movement