NEARLY A YEAR ago teachers began a pay campaign to restore the 34 per cent loss suffered over the last 10 years. On 18 January, the two biggest unions the National of Teachers and the National Association of Schoolmasters-Union of Women Teachers — are holding special conferences to plan for the 1986 pay campaign.
These come at important time. The ment is anxious to blunt the teachers action and last side the Burnham negotiating body to remove the NUT's majority. would ead to a rapid settlement The NAS-UWT were prepared to line up with eadteachers' virallisaand ine anti-strike Professional Association of Teachers, to strip ine NUT of its leadership role in the pay body. But they have been forced 1o unity created at a local level between the L.WO unions. In London for example, the Inner London Teachers Association and the London NAS-UWT officers put out a joint new years' greeting members, expressing their intention to work together in the pay campaign.
First the majority of the NUT leadership were opposed to this development but in December ther adopted a call for joint talks on the claim between the TUC affiliated unions. This call was initiated by Socialist Teachers Alliance supporters on the national exccutive commantlee The government's declaration of cuts in educa. tion spending of five per cent in real terms has ex. posed their attitude education. This has sour. red teachers to keep up their fight.
which now dominates the Sue negotiations, has made litile Dalk teachers. spokesperson on education, Giles Radice has only made milk and water statements calling for an independent enquiry: (NUT Executive member, personal capacity)
The union conferences will have to take up these problems. The NUT executive resolution has routinist, business as usual approach. The conference must make sure that the current selective strike acCUlE ana sancuons are intensified and that teachers art not elt to light alone number of local associations have amendments to the NU comerence lo lackie inese tasks. One of them calls local branches the NUT and the NAS-UWT 1o get backing when they work instructs the executive to aim