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Teachers' union votes to strike in June Teachers' union votes to strike in June
(35 minutes later)
A national teachers' strike looks set to go ahead in June, with the possibility of more walkouts to come, after the National Union of Teachers annual conference in Brighton supported an open-ended motion backing industrial action. A national teachers' strike looks likely to go ahead in June, with the possibility of more walkouts to come, after the National Union of Teachers annual conference in Brighton supported an open-ended motion backing industrial action.
To chants of "Gove must go!", NUT delegates on Monday overwhelmingly voted for a motion calling for a national campaign on pay and working conditions, including lobbying of MPs in marginal seats, a national rally, and a strike to take place in the week beginning 23 June if "significant" progress was not made in negotiations with the government. To chants of "Gove must go!", NUT delegates on Monday overwhelmingly voted for a motion calling for a national campaign on pay and working conditions, including lobbying of MPs in marginal seats, a national rally and a strike to take place in the week beginning 23 June if "significant" progress was not made in negotiations with the government.
After an earlier acrimonious debate over more aggressive action – including a pair of two-day strikes later in the year – the conference backed an amendment that stiffened the language to include consultations on "a series of strikes through the autumn term and into 2015". After an acrimonious debate over more aggressive action – including a pair of two-day strikes later in the year – the conference backed an amendment that stiffened the language to include consultations on "a series of strikes through the autumn term and into 2015".
The successful amendment also said the union should seek to co-ordinate with other public sector unions in taking industrial action.The successful amendment also said the union should seek to co-ordinate with other public sector unions in taking industrial action.
The prospects for further joint action with the NASUWT – the other major teaching union – appear to have receded though, after the NASUWT took a softer line in its own motion on industrial action. It stopped short of specifically calling for a timetable for strikes. The prospects for further joint action with the NASUWT – the other main teaching union – appear to have receded though, after the NASUWT took a softer line in its own motion on industrial action. It stopped short of specifically calling for a timetable for strikes.
Although the NUT and NASUWT have taken combined action in the past, the NASUWT declined to take part in the NUT's most recent national strike on 26 March this year. Although the NUT and NASUWT have taken combined action in the past, the NASUWT declined to take part in the NUT's most recent national strike on 26 March.
"Yes, we want to involve as many teachers as possible. But if we can't take our NASUWT colleagues with us then we have the commitment and the ability to go it alone," said Anne Lemon, an NUT executive member who backed the motion, told delegates in Brighton. "Yes, we want to involve as many teachers as possible. But if we can't take our NASUWT colleagues with us then we have the commitment and the ability to go it alone," Anne Lemon, an NUT executive member who backed the motion, told delegates in Brighton.
"Very importantly, the motion does not exclude us from taking strike action with other unions that will be coming out. If that means taking more than one day then there's nothing that precludes that in this motion.""Very importantly, the motion does not exclude us from taking strike action with other unions that will be coming out. If that means taking more than one day then there's nothing that precludes that in this motion."
The NASUWT members in Birmingham voted for a motion on Sunday backing the union's leadership to take "action short of strike action" as well as "strike action at school, local, regional and national level as appropriate", without fixing specific dates.The NASUWT members in Birmingham voted for a motion on Sunday backing the union's leadership to take "action short of strike action" as well as "strike action at school, local, regional and national level as appropriate", without fixing specific dates.
On the prospects for joint action, the motion merely said the NASUWT's strategy would "continue to campaign with other unions in the TUC", without naming its sister union.On the prospects for joint action, the motion merely said the NASUWT's strategy would "continue to campaign with other unions in the TUC", without naming its sister union.
Earlier in the morning, the NUT conference in Brighton declined to change its timetable and hear a priority motion on the so-called Trojan Horse investigation into schools in Birmingham. Speakers against the move to debate a motion argued that too little was known about what was going on in Birmingham, and much of it was innuendo and rumour. Earlier in the morning, the NUT conference in Brighton declined to change its timetable and hear a priority motion on the "Trojan Horse" investigation into schools in Birmingham. Speakers against the move to debate a motion argued that too little was known about what was going on in Birmingham, and much of it was innuendo and rumour.
The proposed motion said in part: "Conference resolves to condemn the Islamophobia that has been whipped up by the press and media regarding Operation Trojan Horse and Birmingham schools."The proposed motion said in part: "Conference resolves to condemn the Islamophobia that has been whipped up by the press and media regarding Operation Trojan Horse and Birmingham schools."