Alex Kenny (Inner London Executive member) and Paddy Marshall (London Regional Officer) were present.

EMAS resolution

Islington NUT recognises that

 

• the decision by ce@islington to try to balance its books by sacking 26 out of 32 EMAS staff by Christmas, will directly impact on some of the most vulnerable children and communities in our schools.

 

• this is the overture to further and deeper cuts throughout central services shortly to be announced, to make £700 000 worth of “efficiency savings” at the expense of our members jobs and the services they provide to schools.

 

We believe that

 

• the pressure on LEAs funding from central government (whether in the form of reductions in direct grants, top slicing for Academy conversion or increased devolution of funding direct to schools) means that to make the figures fit in the short term; first rate and essential work is being axed, and the dedicated and highly effective colleagues who carry it out are being discarded after many years service with a casual disregard for the long term needs of the communities we serve.

 

• Islington Council needs to have a clearly articulated vision and plan for taking central services back in house when ce@islington’s contract runs out in 2013.

 

We resolve to

 

• Circulate schools and community organisations with relevant material challenging this decision, including an open letter for as many people as possible to sign

 

• Explore with the affected colleagues and our members generally what further action we can take to bring pressure to bear, including borough-wide industrial action.

• Continue to challenge the (often misleading and opaque) figures and dubious assertions in ce@islington’s documentation.

 

• Seek a meeting with the relevant lead councillors to clarify their view of the current cuts and their priorities for central services when they take over in 2013.

 

Pensions resolution

 

Islington NUT  welcomes the decisions of UNISON, the GMB, UNITE, the FBU and NASUWT to ballot their members on industrial action to oppose the government’s attack on public sector pensions.

 

Recognises that

• anyone dependent on a private sector pension or private sector company pension, has been very badly hit by the collapse in stock market values and decisions by companies over the last decade to leverage money from their pension schemes to shore up their profitability.
• the governments desire to significantly reduce the value of public sector pensions is not simply a direct attack on those of us who work in the public sector, but an attempt to reduce any expectation of a decent standard of living in retirement for anyone.
• Our campaign is therefore not simply to defend our own prospects in old age, but also for decent pensions for all.

 

Believes that

• the most effective union action would be everyone coming out together in one big strike with the largest possible demonstrations and rallies all over the country and welcomes the decision to name November 30^th as the day
• the purpose of this action is not an end in itself, but to undermine the government’s legitimacy and project an alternative course to its failing economic strategy
• getting the Labour Party off the fence is part of this
• in the run up to November we need to broadest possible unity in action between the unions at national, local, community and school levels.

 

Resolves

• to make this campaign a priority
• to set up a joint meeting with all the potentially striking unions to co-ordinate campaigning
• to set up a reps training afternoon to centralise campaigning before half term
• to encourage school reps to convene meetings, with other unions if possible
• to encourage school reps to attend the lobby of Parliament during half term
• to widely circulate the Fair Pensions for All petition, including to local political parties and community groups as well as other Unions, and use it to make contacts and links with those in the private sector that the government is trying to mobilise against us.
• 
  

Motion on 30 November strike and the Unite the Resistance Conference

 

Islington notes:

 

•The historic decision of almost every public sector union to call co-ordinated strikes that will see a 24 hour public sector general strike on 30 November.

•The decision of the TUC to hold demonstrations in every major city in the country on 30 November.

•The strikes are a response to the government’s austerity plans which will see unemployment levels comparable to the 1980s, massive cuts in the standard of living of those in work and the destruction of services and welfare provision.

•The call by CWU activists in Royal Mail to post workers not to cross picket lines on 30 November.

•The decision of a group of leading trade union activists to call a national ‘Unite the Resistance’ conference on Saturday 19 November in Central London. The purpose of the conference will be to build the strike action and debate the campaign strategies that can help us save our pensions.

 

 

ITA  condemns:

 

Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour Party for refusing to support the strikes on the 30 June and again says he does not support the public sector workers’ strike on 30 November.

 

 

ITA believes:

 

1) That every group of workers, including those in the private as well as public sector, should attempt to coordinate any upcoming action with the strike on 30 November.

 

2) That if the strike and demonstrations on 30 November are not enough to defeat the Con-Dem coalition’s plans then further days of united strike action involving as many unions as possible will be the most important weapon in achieving victory.

 

 

This union branch/region/group resolves to:

 

1) Play whatever role we can to win the strike ballots, and ensure the strike action planned for 30 November is aswell supported as possible.

2) Encourage all workers not called out on strike on 30 November to refuse to cross picket lines and join the regional demonstrations that are planned that day.

3) Sponsor and send a delegation of as many ITA members who are able to attend to the “Unite the Resistance” conference on 19 November (cost £5 per delegate).

Caught in the Act

 ITA supports the Caught in the Act (Education) Conference on Saturday 19 October and agrees to send up to six delegates.