Today we are witness to an example of what is possible. Over 200,000 teachers will take national action to defend our pay. We will be joined by around 100,000 civil servants and 25,000 FE lecturers. The government’s insistence that public sector workers should pay the price for their failed economic policies and rising inflation is being rejected and resisted by the biggest day of public service workers action in decades. At a time when billions are being set aside to guarantee failing banks and city bosses pick up £14bn in bonuses alone, more and more workers simply will not lie down and accept that decent pay levels for them are unaffordable. After a long period of relative passivity this revival in trade union confidence and militancy is a tremendous and long overdue sign of hope.
But it is only a start. After today members of the NUT and the other unions have a decision to make: is this a protest action or are we serious about winning? If we are serious, more action will be required beyond this one day and as soon as practically possible. It would be great if the government backed away from the threat to offer only 2.45% in September in the face of the current action but we all know they won’t. The success of today should give us confidence, however, to build a really effective campaign which can defeat the attack on our pay. When members return to work after the strike messages should be sent to the National Executive supporting a fresh strike ballot so that further action can be called. We should also encourage colleagues in other teacher unions, particularly the NASUWT, to put pressure on their leaders locally and nationally to join the NUT campaign. A concerted programme of action by teachers can without doubt force the government’s hands on pay.
And it is better than that. We are not acting alone. The presence today of civil service members of PCS and FE lecturers from UCU demonstrates that opposition to a public sector pay freeze is spreading across the trade union movement. In the next few months that opposition is likely to grow. Our support staff co-workers in school have also been offered only 2.45% and they are being consulted by Unison with a recommendation to reject this deal. If they say ‘No’ then strike action from them and other local council workers is on the cards. Health workers, fire brigade staff and prison officers are among the other groups due to react to below-inflation pay awards in the coming months. It would make no sense for us to enter the stage briefly for one day only to leave it and then absent ourselves when thousands more workers join the battle against the pay freeze.
A united fight by public sector workers can defeat the pay freeze and win inflation-proof increases across the board. Wherever possible action should be co-ordinated but not on the basis of any union holding off its own action until others come into line. April 24th became possible because the NUT proceeded with a ballot for action. That act encouraged the UCU to ballot and the PCS to call out their members.
The NUT should re-ballot this term- this time for discontinuous action- and immediately approach the other unions to build a co-ordinated campaign. Discontinuous action would allow us to call further days or half-days of action or to call selective action in particular areas where striking members are sustained (paid). Starting with a coalition of the willing (PCS, UCU) can make it easier to bring Unison and NASUWT on board. That in turn can create the conditions where wider sections of the public sector trade union movement can co-ordinate action. All of this can only happen if it is prepared on the ground. In the staffroom it means talking to members of other teacher and support staff unions and sending petitions and messages to NUT headquarters calling for action. In localities it means building united public sector pay campaigns across the different unions as has been done already in Leeds and Bristol.
April 24th is an important day for the NUT and trade unionism generally- but if it is to herald a real revival it must be the start of a serious campaign intent on winning rather than a one-day protest strike.