Members of the Burleigh Against Trust Status group present a copy of the staff petition to Councillor Mike Jones. The vast majority of staff at Burleigh want to remain as employees of the Local Authority.
CAMPAIGNS
Leicestershire NUT is proud to be involved in several important campaigns. As part of the NUT nationally, we are obiously an important part of national campigns such as Fair Pay For Teachers, Workload, and Anti-Trust Status.
Other pages on this site are dedicated to each of these campaigns, and each of them are very significant for all Leicestershire NUT members.
ACADEMIES BILL
The most recent threat is clearly represented by the proposals contained in the new Academies Bill, which was one of the first things developed by the new Sec of State, Mr Gove.
This represents a dismantling of the current educational system and its replacement by an undemocratic and untried alternative. We are very concerned about this Bill, and the reasons can be read on the Academies Bill page.
PAY
In April 2008, Leicestershire NUT members took part in the national strike, and many of our members attended a rally at the Athena Centre in Leicester.We attracted some positive media coverage and certainly raised awareness of the cuts to teachers pay.
Prices continue to rise and yet the government insists on cutting teacher pay even further, as it has done for many years now. Teachers, along with other public sector wokers, are the victims of inflation, not its cause. And we have to protect our families by trying to secure a pay award which reflects these rises in the cost of living.
WORKLOAD
Many Leicestershire NUT members regularly contact the Office over workload issues, and these concerns are being reflected in an increasingly important NUT campaign over these issues. The NUT Conference in Manchester earlier in 2008 also recognised the concerns over workload, and this has now resulted in the NUT national executive launching a campaign to tackle the problems.
TRUST STATUS
After a period when Leicestershire schools were unaffected by the introduction of Trust Status elsewhere in the country, it is now clear that several schools are showing an interest in becoming Trust Schools - often pushed forward by small groups of governors.
Leicestershire NUT is fundamentally opposed to Trust Schools, and will oppose any moves to introduce these in the County. The example of Burleigh Community College shows just how little support there is for Trust Status.
POLITICAL FUND
In line with some other teacher associations and trade unions, and in line with Conference decisions, the NUT has established a Political Fund. This was achieved through a ballot in January 2008.
The main purpose of the fund is to enable the union to campaign against those who stand on racist or fascist platforms during local and national elections.
Below is a document which may answer any issues you have if you opted in and a deduction has been made (this should be an annual payment of £1.49, taken on 2 Feb if you pay your subscription by direct debit). An exemption Form is also attached.