The National Education Union (NEU) workplace rep at North Huddersfield Trust, Louise Lewis, has been dismissed in an act of blatant anti-union victimisation. Louise was at the centre of a major dispute earlier this year when she was subjected to disciplinary allegations and suspended.
Her union insisted that the allegations were an attack on her legitimate work as the school rep, especially her determination to ensure that Covid safety measures were properly followed. NEU members were balloted and voted to take sustained strike action to defend her. After several days on strike and a hearing the attempt to dismiss her failed, and her suspension was lifted.
The school, however, delayed her return to work, claiming a need to work on a reintegration plan. Several months after the disciplinary hearing Louise was still not back in school. In fact the employer used the intervening period to regroup and plan a new attack.
In November a so-called “reintegration meeting” was used to report on a further investigation which claimed a break down of trust between some of the senior leadership team and Louise. The investigation was nothing more than a survey of the small Senior Leadership Team group. At that meeting the chair of governors alone made the decision to dismiss on “some other substantial reason”, a notorious get-out clause for employers who can find no other way of sacking a worker.
Louise is appealing against the decision. If it is not overturned, there is likely to be a strong claim for unfair dismissal. In the meantime work is underway with members in the school to build a collective response to defend their rep, including through a new strike ballot.
Louise is president of the local Kirklees NEU branch as well as the school rep. During the course of the previous campaign to defend her, she was also elected to the union’s National Executive. This outrageous attack on her is an attack on the union. It is absolutely critical that everything possible is done to build a collective response and win her reinstatement.
