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 30th
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.