Reps
Role of NUT Rep
Keeping members informed
You are a vital link in the chain of communication between members and the Union. All communications from the Union into school are addressed to you. t is very important that members are kept informed about the work of the Union at local and national level.
As school representative, you will receive:
- regular updates for your school representative's pack
- school representatives' mailings with briefing and publicity material from Headquarters
- regular copies of 'NUT News' to be displayed on the NUT staff noticeboard
- guidance to you as school representative, to be "filed" in your pack
- guidance for you to make available to NUT members when appropriate
- messages from the General Secretary to you as school representative
- updates on local activities from your association or division secretary
- materials to be distributed to all NUT members in school, including questionnaires
- information about meetings at your local association.
Keeping members informed is important but in a typically busy school this can be difficult.
Ideas
Use the NUT noticeboard in the staffroom. This is the quickest and easiest method of passing on information to members. An attractive and regularly updated noticeboard is a great way of strengthening the Union's presence in your school.
Teachers judge the effectiveness of teachers' organisations by how attractive their noticeboard is, and how often it is updated.
- keep the noticeboard tidy
- remove all old notices
- change material regularly
- order fresh materials from NUT in good time
Talk to members individually.
Hold meetings.
If there is a subject that needs to be discussed by members, however, or decisions need to be taken, a meeting may be essential. Remember that colleagues may be resistant to attending yet more school-based meetings.
Your choice of strategy depends on:
- the number of members
- the time available
- what you want to communicate.
Your role as NUT Representative
The four elements in your role as school representative are:
- recruitment - this includes the retention of members
- communication
- liaison
- representation
Recruitment
Recruiting new members, including student members
Retaining existing members.
Communication
- Talking and listening
- Opening the mail
- Displaying NUT material on the school staffroom noticeboard.
- Informing members and disseminating union policies advice and guidance
- Informing members about local association and division activities including local meetings
- Conveying details of union training available for members.
Liaison
- Calling meetings of NUT members within the school when required
- Conveying the views of members to your association or division
- Liaising regularly with the school's health and safety representative
- Liaising regularly with the teacher governors
- Working with representatives of other teachers' organisations and non-teaching staff within your school.
Representation
- Handling the initial stages of casework for individual members.
- Consultation within the school, including regular meetings with the head teacher or their deputy
- Negotiation within the school on implementation of local agreements
- Ensuring that all agreements between the NUT and the employers are observed in the school.
Facilities Agreement
Under the Hackney Facilities Agreement accredited school representatives are entitled to the following time off:
Time off each week on the following basis:
1-3 members 1 hour per week
4-30 members 2 hours per week
31+ members 3 hours per week
1.5 days release for local training per year.
Funding for the above has been delegated to school budgets.
Accredited representatives are entitled to the following facilities for association business, when not required for school purposes, by arrangement with the Head and on the understanding that any damage attributable to this use will be paid for by the association:
- Private use of the school telephone without charge
- Use of rooms in the school for appropriate meetings free of charge
- Use of a specific noticeboard within the school
- Use of a filing cabinet
- Use of school typing, duplicating and photocopying equipment, where available, for essential union work within the school, providing this does not interfere with the work of the school and on the basis of repayment by the association for disposable items.
List of activities which an NUT rep undertakes in union facility time:
Information
- Open post and read information from the union.
- Keep members informed by distributing information from the union to members.
- Keep union notice-board up-to-date.
- Inform members of training opportunities provided by the union.
- Regularly check the NUT website.
- Distribute information about NUT elections, local and national.
- Complete surveys from the union on issues in school.
- Contribute articles to the HTA news.
- Inform members of meeting dates and agendas for HTA meetings.
Communication
- Communicate with HTA, Regional Office and the national union.
- Prepare union responses to management proposals for discussion at union meetings.
- Respond when necessary to school policies e.g. Behaviour policy, Assessment Policy.
- Communicate union policy to parents, including organising translations.
- Liaise with other unions.
Organisation
- Recruit new members.
- Check and regularly update the union membership list.
- Organise union meetings – prepare, photocopy and distribute agendas, organise rooms, invite outside speakers etc.
- Support and advise individual union members. Try to sort out any problems they may have e.g. pay, following advice from HTA or Regional Office.
Representation
- Meet with the Head teacher regularly.
- Represent members in meetings with management.
- Help to resolve differences between union members.
- Monitor school budget.
- Negotiate with the Head teacher school policies, directed time, shadow structure etc.