Nut Conference Otes for Discipline Not Action

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NO action to defeat the zovernment's spending cuts in education: but action to hold back and defeat militant teachers wanting to fight growing unemployment, dwindling resources and undersized classes.

That was the message loud and clear from the NUT Conference at Scarborough this Easter.

The main resolution on Labour Chancellor Healey's proposed £949,000,000 cutbacks merely called on the Executive to prepare a *campaign"

UNSPECIFIED

The demands of the campaign, 'the forms of action which would be taken, were all left unspecified.

Mr. Alf Wiltshire, in his presidential address, after a denuncation of cuts, involving stories of schools where cockroaches abound and fungi grows on the walls, merely assured people that the "union will fight".

Not a single concrete action was proposed.

On the question of unemployment, the only leadership proposal was that older teachers should retire early so that younger ones can have their jobs.

"SELECTION"

If not enough volunteered to be sacked, the Executive admitted .... "there will have to be some selection."

The Executive ridiculed attempts to get a discussion on the : Budget and the proposed 3% pay amit, even though this was the first major conference since it was announced.

The NUT. bureaucrats were absolutely clear on their plas IS to suspend (and even expel) any member or school group who take action to oppose cuts.

OFFICER

Any individual officer of the union can initiate proceedings against a member who would be immediately suspended. The Executive also intends to line up with management it they move to victimize him.

As the WSL made clear in its leaflet to conterence, these attacks on the democratic rights of union members is only part of the strategy of the trade union leaders to hold back the developing They are frightened people desperate to stifle the growing opposition to their treacherous collaboration with the Labour NOT ENOUGH To try and head off struggle, they proclaim their "opposition" to cuts. But words are not enough.

The Executive must call national strike action to demand. an immediate massive injection of finance into the education sector and a sliding scale of expenditure. They must fight for the opening of the books of the local education authorities to reveal staffing figures and other information such as the money paid to the educational suppliers. This would be information to be further used in the struggle for the nationalisation of these firms.

Socialist member on tere NUT Executive, almost succeeded in NUT Conference passing totally utopian amendment on government social priority payments (which are at present paid to teachers in 'socially deprived' schools).

The essence of North's proposal was to call for this money instead to be spent on extra books and facilities in these schools - though he offered no way of checking on where the money went!

ASSISTING

While not actually asking for a wage cut for these teachers (the amendment did ask that existing allowance-holders should be safeguarded) this move wouid, as pointed out by the Executive, be assisting the LEAs in making further cuts in the education budget.

Socialists should not call for a redistribution of the limited and dwindling resources the capitalist state grudgingly pays out for education, but should demand more where it is needed.

The WSL does not accept that the bureacracy has the right to deprive members fighting the cuts of their trade union rights.

We call on NUT members to put motions in their branches opposing the new disciplinary rule.

A fight on this will mean a struggle against the bureaucrats nationally and locally. Especially treacherous are the Stalinists of the CP, such as Max Morris, who are the hatchet men for the Executive.