Hank Roberts, founder member of Professional Unity 2000 and member of ATL, NASUWT and NUT has campaigned tirelessly to unite the teaching unions. He has been involved in unified action against academies which has been successful. Through the coordinating work of the Anti Academies Alliance this has spread around the country. He says:

“As we face the biggest crisis those of us teaching in Britain have ever faced we need to be ever clearer on our main strategic priority. It must be to increase the unity of workers in education.”

There are two ways of increasing unity; unity in action and organisational unity. Both are important and unity in action makes organisational unity both more likely and easier to achieve. However, organisation unity is the most important because if achieved it makes unity in action much more likely and more easily achievable.

Working together in some ways is becoming easier in our adversity. We should expand this as much as possible into all areas and all organisations such as the Anti Academies Alliance where we can work together. Other possible areas are asbestos removal, workload, testing and league tables. It is good news that this Easter the NUT will be debating the removal of asbestos from all educational establishments at its national conference.

On the other hand, the NUT and NAHT organising a joint conference on Testing and League Tables was an excellent example of the recognition of the need for unity. When it came to the ‘what do we do’ session there was universal agreement that unity in action with as many of the education unions as possible was the only way victory would be achieved. We are now in a situation where both unions are balloting members on boycotting the tests for KS2 in May this year. The closer working together can only have positive outcomes whatever happens with the tests.

Unions uniting have traditionally come about in two ways;
a) Those caused by financial pressures
b) Those desired by the memberships of unions involved where the unions are not in any financial difficulties

To look at a) first. All the teacher unions are currently under severe economic pressure for the a priori reasons of the present credit crunch devastating the value and income from investments and the serious fall in interest rates for cash held. The falling real value of teachers’ salaries, and the seriously competitive situation in the teacher union market, militates against subscription fee increases to mitigate financial loss. Employee and past employee pension funds are also a severe problem.

This puts pressure on and makes amalgamation, takeover or dissolution to form a new union between 2 or 3 of the main players (ATL, NASUWT and NUT) more likely. Other possibilities involve UCU and EIS and the two headteacher or leadership unions NAHT and ASCL.

Rationalisation in the current situation an outsider would have to say is so likely as to be almost inevitable. However, with humans if its not consciously organised for it won’t happen. What is the ‘bride price’ we (in any teacher union) should offer for uniting with another? My view -anything. What conditions should we demand? None. What conditions should we accept? Any, except it not being a democratic union. Offer all that may be wanted and needed so it cannot be opposed – good pay offs, guarantees re positions and facility time. The question is what and how – what is best and how can it be shaped?

Re b). The previous near achievement of unity in 2002 was very much a result of a push from the grass roots (assisted greatly by the role and work of Professional Unity 2000). This work within all the unions and in a reinvigorated UNIFY – One Education Union (the new name for Professional Unity 2000) needs to be escalated and we need plans for this. The Unity Conference planned by NUT is one opportunity as are the annual Conferences as are motions to the Executive. UNIFY is organising Conference fringe events again this year at the education conferences. The NUT General Secretary’s statements supporting unity are welcome. The newly elected Deputy General Secretary Kevin Courtney is someone who has experience in working across the unions in a variety of campaigns.

The current crisis will lead, unchallenged, to huge cuts in public expenditure on education and its emaciated husk handed over to be run privately. And this despite the private sectors demonstrated woeful inability to run banking and so much else without public money.

Crisis is indeed opportunity. We need to and will take forward this opportunity to build greater unity with our section of the class. The times and the saving of state education demand it.

Hank Roberts

Alan Carr, re-elected as UCU Treasurer, is also Honorary Vice President (UCU) of UNIFY. He writes about his experiences of unity in a personal capacity.

“At the turn of the century, relations between AUT and NATFHE were so bad that I could see no possibility of significant unity – still less merger – this side of the next millennium! That’s why I was attracted to Professional Unity 2000. I hoped that we would be dragged together by what then looked like the inevitable coming together of the main school teaching unions.”

How wrong can you be? And how quickly things can change! The main school teaching unions are no further forward while AUT and NATFHE have merged into the University and College Union. It’s not exactly been a marriage made in heaven and some things have been difficult. But things are a hell of a lot better than they would have been without the merger.

Currently, UCU faces numerous difficult issues – perhaps most significantly, employer attempts to divide us over national bargaining structures. Four years ago, we would have been at each others throats. Now, we are in a position to settle differences internally – by asking members to decide – and to present a united face to the employers and government.

The school teaching unions can and must do the same in response to the threats that they face – in particular the threat that a future Cameron led Tory government will try to “take them on”.

The time for unity has arrived. We should aim to bring together all in education from the nursery to the university. With a united, million member union we can exercise real political and industrial muscle. Sigh up to “UNIFY” now and lets build one powerful union speaking up for all sectors of education.

Alan Carr
National Treasurer UCU (in personal capacity)

Bill Greenshields, Past NUT President, and founder member of PU 2000 gives a personal view on the necessity to unite to save our state education system. UNIFY is very pleased that Bill has taken on the role of Honorary NUT Vice President of UNIFY.

“The urgent need for a single education union must be clear to all. Only those who do not choose to see its importance could deny it. Unity, a single voice, acting together, solidarity – these are the very bases of trade unionism, the very foundations of success.”

We are fighting for the very survival of an integrated, publicly funded state comprehensive education system. We are struggling to see the end of SATs. We are striving to protect ourselves from excessive workload. We have shown our continuing opposition to pay cuts. We will soon have to be again campaigning against attacks on our pensions. We need to act collectively to prevent punitive inspections and all-too-common management bullying. You can add to the list.
Any one of our education unions can lobby and protest on such issues. But without a united profession we will find it extremely difficult to win. This is so obvious that it should hardly need saying. We have a profession with one of the highest densities of union membership – but disunity inevitably weakens us.

Yet there are those who prefer competition between our unions to unity of purpose. They limit themselves to simply vying to be the largest union in a divided profession, rather than taking on the task of unifying – for one education union. There are others who believe that achieving a single education union is “too difficult” in the current situation – and so decide not to work for it. I think that our lives will become “too difficult” if we do not achieve it!

We have to consider every avenue to achieve unity – unity in policy, in action and finally organisationally. We should take as our inspiration the fact that, in every school, teachers from different unions work well together professionally and in union terms too – when they are allowed to. Overwhelmingly, without a doubt the “ordinary members” of all our unions want a single union. Maybe the main thrust for unity should start in our schools – in joint union committees – and drive up through the union structures.

I welcome the launch of “UNIFY – for one education union”. When members of all the unions get together in its activities, you can feel the potential strength. We need to feel the strength of such unity right across our profession.

Teachers, members of all the unions, and generations to come will not forgive us if we fail in the task of achieving a single union… and as a result of that failure see our profession and our education service weakened and undermined. There is no time to waste, the task is urgent – and we have to show now that we are up to the job.

A view from Brian Williams, Honorary President (NASUWT) of UNIFY, and founder member of Professional Unity 2000.

“Trade Unions exist to protect and promote the rights and welfare of workers. Quite naturally workers join a union that represents employees in that particular sector. Post Office workers join CWU, Rail workers join RMT, Construction workers join UCATT – and so on. There is one union to represent workers in that sector – one voice to negotiate with employers.”

It is, therefore, quite perplexing – even baffling – to workers not involved in education to learn that there are six  teacher trade unions affliated to the TUC and three non-affliated unions. Amazingly there are other organizations representing teachers who are not in either catagory!! The six affliated unions claim membership of 899,000. as mergers create larger more effective unions – UNISON was formed from NALGO, NUPE and COHSE, UNITE from Amicus and T&G – the proportion of  education unions in the TUC increases. At present there are 58 unions affiliated to the TUC, 6 represent teachers and lecturers. In addition the 3 non-affliated bodies claim to represent 53,000 teachers.

Anyone attempting to create an effective representative forum for teachers could never mantain that the best scenario would be to establish at least 10 organisations – with the inherent capacity for internecine warfare and internal bloodletting – not to mention the employers’ability to divide and rule. Space does not permit an explanation of how this farcical position arose. Suffice to say dis-unity – and that is precisely what exists – is in the interests of one body only, the employers.
I spoke to a fringe meeting at the NUT Conference in Cardiff in the mid 90s – to advocate the formation of one teachers’ union – a view not entirely popular in the NASUWT! I pointed out that union leaders create “theological” differences and use sophistry to justify their existance. Teachers of all unions are united by a far greater range of things than that which divides them.The basic aims of a decent level of remuneration and good conditions of service should unite teachers not create a context where union leaders can score points in press releases in a game of one upmanship.

Those involved in education as teachers or lecturers work in an ever-changing environment and will face greater problems in the future and creeping privatisation of the service.To ensure justice, unity is not just beneficial it is essential. The mounting stress on teachers who seem to be reviewed, evaluated, appraised, assessed and examined almost continuously – the attempt by government to privatise the education service in the guise of academy schools, increasing levels of paperwork reducing teachers to robotic beings – need a united stance to combat them.
Unity is essential. Those who claim by some prostitution of logic that it is in the interest of teachers to have a choice of unions forget that ATL, NASUWT,UCU, ASCL all are amalgamations of one sort or another.

I was involved with Professional Unity 2000 from the outset. I am proud to remain involved in the fight for unity. I welcome the launch of UNIFY – one education union. Its vision is broader and more exciting – one union to represent teachers of all levels and age groups. No more divide and rule, no more energy spent on recruitment and membership battles, no more internecine warfare.

Instead energy devoted to improving / protecting the lot of teachers and thereby improving educational provision.

There are two simple yet highly important reasons for such a creation – unity is patently in the interest of all teachers. Any poll taken at school level, at LA level or nationally indicate that this is what teachers want.

Let us put behind us the ills of the past and take a step, a brave step forward to create united force.This can be achieved – it  is possible, it demands will, resolution and vision.

Avante!

UNIFY – One Education Union (Incorporating Professional Unity 2000)

One organisation would enable us to judge the mood of the whole membership i.e. virtually all the profession and act when all or nearly all are up for it. There is immense strength within this unity.