Meetings and events

Kevin Courtney Comes to Norfolk

Norfolk NUT members were delighted to receive a welcome visitor this week in the shape of Kevin Courtney, recently appointed Deputy General Secretary of the Union. Born and educated in Wales, Kevin’s teaching experience was entirely in London (Camden) so he was interested in what it would be like to experience a selection of the smaller, more rural schools in Norfolk.

Around the county

One school to receive a visit was Old Buckenham High School, where he and executive member Kendra Cogman were shown round by the Head Girl and Head Boy. The Deputy General Secretary praised the polite behaviour of the pupils he encountered and had been especially impressed by the mature attitude of his student guides who were excellent ambassadors for both the school and the county. He was also touched by the warm reception given to him by Norfolk teachers.

Kevin also visited the Norwich Free School, Bunwell primary; and Dereham, where he spoke to a gathering of NUT staff members.

Evening address for NQTs and serving teachers

During the evening he gave an address to Norfolk teachers at the Nelson Hotel, on the subject of changes to the public sector pensions and problems faced by young graduates joining the profession; whose student debts are now going to take even longer to pay off, which will discourage potentially excellent teachers from joining our worthwhile profession.

Deputy General Secretary on the subject of pensions

In addition to explaining the changes more clearly than many of the audience had heard before, he questioned whether it was ethical to expect teachers to carry on teaching well into their sixties and beyond. Even though the intellect might be as sound as ever, inspiring lively students,   is an exhausting job in an era where the teacher seldom sits at a desk but is constantly on the go. Obviously teachers have the option of retiring early, however they will lose 5% of their pensions for each year. Therefore, if a teacher decides that they need to retire at sixty in the future instead of sixty eight, they would lose 40% of their teachers’ pension. An extremely unfair situation after a lifetime devoted to the youth - who are the country’s future.

In a passionate plea for fair pensions for ALL, Kevin expressed extreme anger at David Cameron’s insulting use of the word ‘apartheid’ to describe the pension divide. As an activist at the time when apartheid in South Africa was finally brought to an end, he pointed out that the apartheid movement was there to effectively divide the country and to ensure that the under classes remained as second rate citizens without a voice. Is this what the government are trying to do to Great Britain today? He added that private sector workers’ rights urgently need building up, just as was the case for underclass black people in South Africa.

The Deputy General Secretary finished with the fact that the ‘silver lining’ is that the government’s attack on pensions has resulted in unions taking action together, which makes us all stronger. He urged as many people as possible to travel to London on October 26^th to lobby their MP at the Houses of Parliament; and to be ready for the next Strike day on the 30^th of November, unless the government change their stance.

Story provided by Chrissie Smith 

(NUT Association Secretary for South Norfolk and Breckland)