Teachers' put up o shut up

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Evidence that the seven week pay strike by provincial journalists has produced a radical shift in the union emerged at the The refusal by Shirley Williams to increase the derisory 9% offer to teachers has forced even the right wing "professional organisation" AMMA to discuss taking action.

AMMA with the NUT leaders had agreed earlier in the week to refer the claim to the Clegg 'Comparability Board' after the management side withdrew their threat to bring conditions of service into the pay discussions.

Both sides of the Burnham negotiating committee also agreed to ask the Clegg board to base its study on the Houghton Relativities Working Party findings which proved that teachers' pay has fallen. 36.5% behind non-manual workers in the private sector since 1974. But the reference to Clegg was conditional upon an immediate improved offer and a shorter period of "phasing" the full aware than the present April The NUT Executive is quoting the Civil Servants' case of January 1980 as a suitable date.

But in quoting the Civil Servants offer, the NUT is forgetting that Civil Servants went on strike-albeit limited one day action in most cases-before the offer was achieved.

1451 instead upon its members to The NUT leadership has even withdrawn half-day strikes from its 'Action Programme' , calling "withdraw their goodwill".

This involves refusing to participate in voluntary activities at lunch time and after school, and not using cars to travel from one site to another in split site schools.

The NAS/UWT leadership, who walked out of the Burnham pay negotiations in protest at the decision by the other teachers' leaders to agree to reference to the Comparability Board, are applying to the High Court for an injunction to stop the move and are demanding arbitration instead.

Their own "5-hour. day"

action was due to begin on 8 May but would clearly be forestalled if the claim went to arbitration.

The action by NUT teachers must take place throughout the build up to the Election and afterwards to prove to both parties teachers' determination to restore their 1974 levels of pay.

But teachers must be clear that only determined strike action as by the public sector workers in Camden earlier this year, will win the full claim immediately and halt all talk of time wasting diversions such as arbitration and. the Comparability Board.

RUNS SMOOTHLY AT THE SO THERE IT IS — THE FRUIT OF MONTHS OF HARD NEGOTIATION.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOUR?

YES, YES, BUT THERE'S LIKELY TO BÈ ONE CONSOLATION... IF MAGGIE DOES GET IN, SHELL HELP US HANG THE WRECKERS AND RESTORE DEMOCRACY!

RYCRAPHI TO MRS T. NATIONAL EXECUȚIME...