Pressure grows on teachers' pay
Socialist Press1979 1979-05-09Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 11 →
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Teachers protesting against the cuts-now fighting on pay sell-out Tom Jackson's nightmares came true with frightening reality last week.
When all the ballot votes were counted it was clear that UPW members had, overwhelmingly,. rejected the 1979 pay deal recommended by the union executive.
288 branches cast their votes in favour of the deal, while 738 voted for rejection. prevent a movement gaining ground for strike action against the Tory government.
In 1971, postal members were among the first to move into action against the Heath government's policy of confrontation with the working class.
That bitter strike was sold on a colossal scale by Jackson Jackson and his fellow officials.
Today, postal workers may once again. find themselves in conflict with the vicious anti-union policies of a Tory cabinet.
This time, the UPW leaders have already shown in advance their willingness to stab postal workers in the back at the first available opportunity.
Teachers in the NUT are now taking action in every one of the 104 local education authorities in England and Wales over their 36.5% wage claim.
Shirley Williams' pre-election postponement of negotiations only served to fuel teachers' anger, and branches are now sending resolutions to the NUT Executive demanding strike action be organised.
These calls have already come from Birmingham, and Witney and Burford in Oxfordshire.
The '5-hour day' action by the NAS/UWT is due to begin on Tuesday May 8 amid speculation that some authorities may disagree with their interpretation that teachers are only bound by contract to work 5 hours in school per day.
As a result they may deduct pay. from the • NAS/UWT teachers.
"Professionals' strike Even some members of the AMMA, the non-TUC teachers 'professional body' took strike action (for the first time in 100 years) on Wednesday afternoon in order to attend meetings which passed motions condemning Shirley Williams' postponement of the talks.
The NUT Executive must meet immediately and plan national strike action which is the only weapon teachers have to force the Thatcher government to restore the 1974 level of pay as awarded by Houghton.