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Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Teaching unions are guilty of a great betrayal
What is the point of trade unions? Do they exist to stand up for the interests of their members or are they really there to pledge solidarity with Gaza? This is what members of the National Education Union (NEU) are increasingly asking themselves. The NEU was formed in 2017 from the merger of the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. The latter was the major union operating in the private sector and, thus, the NEU has over 34,000 members teaching in independent schools. Ampleforth College, Charterhouse School, Christ's Hospital, Merchant Taylors' School, St Mary's School Ascot and Winchester College are among the leading public schools that recognise the NEU for collective bargaining purposes. The NEU leadership may not be entirely delighted with this situation. Whilst the NEU and the other main teaching union, National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), are not affiliated to the Labour Party, the far-Left have long had a dominant presence in the former and are fast replicating this in the latter. Daniel Kebede, the NEU general secretary, is an avowed Marxist, who has spoken on Socialist Workers Party platforms. Much to the anger of some of its members, Matt Wrack, the acting general secretary of NASUWT, is a fireman, not a teacher. He headed up the far-Left Fire Brigades Union – they disaffiliated from the Labour Party in 2004 in opposition to Tony Blair and only rejoined in 2015 when Jeremy Corbyn became leader – for 20 years before being challenged and defeated. Wrack is a past member of the Trotskyist Militant tendency. The NASUWT has moved a long way in its 100-year-plus history. It is one of the few organisations operating today that was set up with an explicitly sexist purpose, as the history of the union by Nigel de Gruchy, its former general secretary, sets out. During the First World War, as men went to fight, more women became teachers. The NAS part of the union was set up to demand that the returning men should not have female superiors, and that pay differentials between the sexes be maintained (the UWT part of today's union was only set up when that battle was lost). Perhaps in our era where apologies for past wrongs are so popular, it is time for NASUWT to take the knee and make amends. After all, the Garrick and other formerly men-only clubs were not set up to do down women. This union was. The NEU's conference this year had time to pass motions condemning Israel. Last month, the union supported a 'Nakba 77: workplace day of action for Palestine' and a 'solidarity' march. Its actions have been anything but 'behind the scenes'. When Wrack was asked about his support for Corbyn and Labour's anti-Israel turn, he acknowledged with admirable understatement that he 'would not describe [himself] as a Zionist'. Whether Britain's teaching unions can really do much to achieve Middle East peace may be rather in doubt. But there is an issue which affects every one of their members teaching in the private sector – VAT on school fees. This Labour imposition will mean some of these members will lose their jobs as schools close. But what it will inevitably mean for many more teachers is that their conditions of employment will worsen, or at the very least, not improve as they would have done without it. While some schools including Eton have passed the full 20pc levy on to parents, many more have tried to ameliorate the full impact of Labour's onslaught. To balance their budgets, these schools will inevitably have to cut costs elsewhere. This will certainly mean that pay increases will not be as generous as they would otherwise be. It will also undoubtedly lead to more independent schools leaving the Teachers' Pension Scheme. Historically, most independent schools have been part of the state's generous, pay-as-you-go unfunded scheme. Back in 2012, the employer contribution to the pension scheme was 14.1pc. Michael Gove as education secretary then hiked the cost, and this year it has reached 28.68pc. This is largely a charge on the independent schools who are members of the scheme as, for state schools, the contributions are paid for by the Government and it is really just a matter of churning. Private schools have already been planning to leave the unaffordable scheme – it led to industrial action at the Girls' Day School Trust in 2022, the first independent school strikes in memory. But many more will be heading for the exit. So there can be no doubt that VAT on school fees is a direct assault on the interests of members of the teaching unions. What did the NEU do about it? They stated that whilst their focus rightly was on 'protecting members' jobs and conditions', they would not be campaigning against the move. Their excuse was that 'independent schools have their own influential lobby'. Not nearly influential enough, as it turned out. The schools failed to resist Gove's pension raid in 2012 and have achieved nothing to ameliorate the full impact of VAT and the scrapping of mandatory business rate relief for those schools with charitable status. In contrast with its attitude to Palestine, the NEU has stated that it could best 'use our influence behind the scenes'. The Labour Government's Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill – reversing many of the Tories' laudable education reforms and constraining academies and free schools – shows that this influence is indeed great. That Bill could almost have been dictated by the NEU. But over VAT? Nothing. It is as if the union leadership is so blinkered by socialism it does not have time to stand up for its members.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Doctors union says above-inflation pay rises aren't enough as they threaten strike action
Doctors are threatening strike action after being given an above-inflation 4 per cent pay increase, claiming that it does not go far enough in restoring historical pay freezes. Ministers announced the increases after the latest review of the public sector pay, with other NHS workers such as nurses, midwives and physiotherapists receiving a 3.6 per cent increase. Teachers have also threatened to 'register a dispute' over their 4 per cent increase, which will only partly be covered by the Labour government, with the rest to be covered by existing school budgets. An additional £615 million of funding will be provided to schools this financial year to help them with the costs of pay awards for staff, she added, roughly equivalent to three-quarters of the pay rise. Schools will be required to fund the remaining quarter of the pay rise through 'improved productivity and smarter spending', according to the Education Secretary. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said in many schools this would result in 'cuts in service provision to children and young people, job losses, and additional workloads for an already overstretched profession'. He added: 'Unless the government commits to fully funding the pay rise then it is likely that the NEU will register a dispute with the Government on the issue of funding, and campaign to ensure every parent understands the impact of a cut in the money available to schools, and that every politician understands this too.' The increases, recommended by independent pay review bodies, are above the rate of inflation, which jumped to 3.5 per cent in April, up from 2.6 per cent in March and the highest since January 2024. NHS staff in Wales are also likely to be given the same pay award, as the Welsh Government has accepted the same recommendations. Professor Philip Banfield, the BMA's chairman of council, warned it was already considering strike action, as the union believes the pay rise does not do enough to restore doctors' pay after previous salary freezes. 'Doctors' pay is still around a quarter less than it was in real terms 16 years ago and today's 'award' delays pay restoration even more, without a Government plan or reassurance to correct this erosion of what a doctor is worth,' he said. Meanwhile, NHS staff who are members of the Royal College of Nursing and GMB union will be voting on whether to accept the increase, arguing that it is 'entirely swallowed up by inflation'. Elsewhere, most members of the armed forces will be given a 4.5 per cent pay rise, according to Defence Secretary John Healey, while senior members of the military will receive a 3.75 per cent rise. Senior civil servants will get a 3.25 per cent pay rise, according to the Cabinet Office, but ministers plan to defer rolling out new pay bands as part of a review of salaries among the upper echelons of the Civil Service. Prison officers and managers are also set to get a 4 per cent pay rise, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. Judicial office holders, a group which includes judges, will also get a 4 per cent pay rise, after Ms Mahmood rejected a recommendation their pay should rise by 4.75 per cent.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Partially funded teacher pay rise may lead to cuts to school provision
A partially funded pay rise for teachers in England could result in 'further cuts' to education provision for pupils, unions have warned. The Government has accepted the recommendations of the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) to increase the salaries of school teachers and school leaders in England by 4% from September. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said schools will receive an additional £615 million of funding this financial year to help cover most of the costs of increased pay awards for staff. But she said schools will have to find around 1% of the pay awards themselves 'through improved productivity and smarter spending'. Ms Phillipson added: 'I believe schools have a responsibility, like the rest of the public sector, to ensure that their funding is spent as efficiently as possible.' The National Education Union (NEU), the largest education union in the country, has threatened to 'register a dispute' with the Government unless it fully funds the pay rise for teachers. On the partially funded pay offer for teachers, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: 'In many schools this will mean cuts in service provision to children and young people, job losses, and additional workloads for an already overstretched profession.' He said: 'Unless the Government commit to fully funding the pay rise then it is likely that the NEU will register a dispute with the Government on the issue of funding, and campaign to ensure every parent understands the impact of a cut in the money available to schools, and that every politician understands this too.' Last month, both teaching unions – the NEU and the NASUWT – threatened to take strike action if schools did not get extra funding to pay for salary increases for teachers. It came after the Department for Education (DfE) previously suggested in its written evidence to the STRB in December that a 2.8% pay rise for teachers in 2025/26 would be 'appropriate'. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the funding allocated to partially cover the cost of the teacher pay award 'represents a further cut to school budgets'. He said: 'If the Government really thinks it will be possible to bridge this funding gap through 'improved productivity and smarter spending', then it is mistaken. 'Schools have already spent many years cutting costs to the bone and beyond. 'The most likely outcome is that there will be further cuts to educational provision.' In April, the NEU said it would launch a formal ballot on strike action if the Government's pay award for teachers was 'unacceptable'. It came after a majority of NEU teacher members in England who took part in a preliminary ballot said they would be willing to take strike action to secure a fully funded, significantly higher pay award. Last month, the NASUWT teaching union also said it would ballot its members for industrial action if the Government offered a pay award that was 'not fully funded'. Matt Wrack, acting general secretary of the NASUWT, said the union will be 'carefully considering' the implications of the Government's announcement on teachers' pay. He said: 'We need to see long-term investment in education and there is a substantial risk that many schools will be placed in severe financial difficulty this year and next if any financial shortfall they experience is not addressed with extra funding.' In a written statement, Ms Phillipson said the 4% pay rise means school teachers 'will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% since this government took power and over 22% over the last four years.' On Thursday, the Education Secretary also announced that the Government will invest an additional £160m this financial year to support colleges. In July last year, the Labour Government offered teachers and school leaders in England a fully funded 5.5% pay award for 2024/25. NEU members staged eight days of strike action in schools in England in 2023 in a pay dispute. In July 2023, the Government agreed to implement the STRB's recommendation of a 6.5% increase for teachers in England, and coordinated strike action by four unions was called off.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Do schoolchildren need to ‘advocate for Palestine'?
What should children be taught about the war in Gaza? The simple answer is: nothing. Schools are not political institutions and keeping global conflicts out of the classroom allows teachers to focus on education. More realistically, faced with older pupils keen to discuss hot button issues, some teachers might decide to act as a neutral arbiter of debate. But the National Education Union seems intent on going further. Britain's largest teaching union not only wants to bring the 'Palestinian struggle' into schools, it plans to train members in how to 'advocate for Palestine'. At a workshop set to be held in Liverpool next month, teachers will learn 'educational approaches that capture the history of the Palestinian struggle' which are 'aimed at strengthening the movement for Palestinian liberation'. Let's be clear: this is neither neutral 'awareness raising' nor a straightforward dissemination of facts. By bringing 'the Palestinian struggle into schools' in this way, the NEU's leadership is taking one side in a fiercely contested global conflict and encouraging its members to do the same. After the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 2023, the NEU did not to my knowledge hold workshops advocating for Israel. Today, sadly, 'strengthening the movement for Palestinian liberation' effectively means siding with Hamas. This turns the classroom into a hostile environment for Jewish students at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise, including, shamefully, within schools and universities. But the NEU has form on this issue. The hardline head of the union, Daniel Kebede, is a militant anti-Israeli activist who has attended numerous rallies and called on gathered crowds to 'globalise the intifada,' interpreted by many Jewish people as an incitement to violence. Kebede has since said he used those words 'in regards to civic protest and oppose violence' and that he has been 'unequivocal in [his] condemnation of the attacks on October 7'. Meanwhile, another of the union's executive members, Louise Regan, is also a chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The workshop is not the only pro-Palestine activity the NEU has planned. The union is encouraging teachers to hold a day of action at their place of work on Thursday to highlight 'the Palestinian struggle for freedom'. Of course, teachers should be free to hold whatever beliefs they like. And outside of school hours, they should have the same rights to protest as other members of the public. But when your place of work is a school and your audience is children who are compelled to attend, then you are not simply exercising your right to free speech: you are abusing your position. Teachers exercise huge influence over children's lives. Introducing children to knowledge of the world they have been born into is a huge responsibility and a tremendous privilege. Teachers shape children's attitudes and values. It is because of this power that the UK already has legislation barring the promotion of partisan political views in schools. Educators have a duty not to use the classroom as a recruiting ground for their favoured political causes. It is perhaps unsurprising that senior union officials seem confused as to where the boundaries lie between activism and teaching; after all, many aspects of schooling have been politicised. From lessons in sexuality and gender identity to the decolonised history curriculum, from campaigners addressing assemblies to pupils making videos to welcome migrants or fasting in solidarity with children in Gaza, the line between teaching and indoctrination appears increasingly blurred. Yet Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson's curriculum review looks set to take schools still further down this path. But for teachers to exploit the authority they have over children in support of a political cause is morally reprehensible. A teaching qualification should not give anyone the right to use the classroom as a pulpit and the 'Palestinian struggle' should be kept out of schools. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Nigel Farage's war on the Left-wing teaching unions can't start soon enough
Last month Nigel Farage promised that, if he becomes PM, he'll 'go to war' with the National Education Union. Well, it's high time someone did. The NEU may well be the most foamingly Left-wing trade union in Britain. For the latest proof, see its response to the astonishing revelation from the Supreme Court that women are not male. On Saturday the NEU declared that, regardless of the above ruling, trans women (who are male) must still be allowed to use women's loos in schools. Daniel Kebede, the union's general secretary, thundered: 'A toxic climate has been created in which trans people, a small community, are treated as if they are a risk or threat to others.' It truly is remarkable that, even after all these years, progressives like him still don't grasp why female-only spaces are needed. But perhaps we should try to explain it to them, just one more time. The problem is not that trans women themselves are necessarily 'a risk or threat'. The problem is that, if you allow trans women to enter women's spaces, men who actually are 'a risk or threat' will take advantage. All these men need to do is to claim that they too are trans women, and hey presto – they can waltz straight into the women's loos or changing rooms. And women can't object. Because, if they did, they'd be accused of transphobia, and punished accordingly. The only way to keep such men out, therefore, is to bar all males, irrespective of how they say they identify. I really don't think the above point is difficult to understand. Yet it must be, because so many educated people – even teachers – seem incapable of getting their heads round it. At the NEU's recent annual conference, incidentally, its delegates labelled Reform as 'a racist and far-Right party'. But that's not how Reform describes itself. Surely the NEU should respect Reform's identity. Poirot and the Mystery of the Very Brexity Things Scene: an English country house. The brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot has gathered all the suspects into the drawing room. Poirot: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I do not mind admitting to you that this has been one of the most difficult cases that I have ever investigated. It tested my little grey cells to the very limit. But I can now reveal which of you is the murderer. It is none other than… the Reverend Honeysuckle!' Everyone gasps. Random posh man: 'The vicar? But it can't be!' Random posh woman: 'The Reverend Honeysuckle would never dream of doing something so awful! He is an unimpeachable pillar of our local community!' Rev Honeysuckle: 'No, no, my dear. I'm afraid that what Monsieur Poirot says is correct. I did indeed murder the dowager countess with a badminton racquet in the library last Saturday afternoon while everyone else was attending the village fete. But tell me, Monsieur Poirot: how on earth did you work out that it was me?' Poirot: 'You did very well to cover your tracks, monsieur vicar. Unfortunately for you, however, your guilt was given away by a single telltale clue.' Rev Honeysuckle: 'What in heaven's name was it?' Poirot: 'On your bookshelves, I discovered the latest bestseller by Douglas Murray!' Everyone gasps again. Poirot: 'And not only that. I also found that you possess several back issues of the Spectator magazine, a eurosceptic history of Britain's entry into the Common Market, and numerous other reading materials that my good friend Hastings has so appositely described as 'very Brexity things'. As soon as I stumbled upon this incriminating evidence, I knew at once that their owner must be a monster of moral depravity, with a mind hell-bent upon perpetrating acts of the most appalling evil.' Rev Honeysuckle [bursting into tears of shame]: 'Yes, yes! It's all true! I am a monster! I believe that net immigration of almost one million people a year is unsustainable! I think there should be a full national inquiry into the grooming gangs! And I still haven't watched a single episode of Adolescence!' Yet more gasps. Sounds of retching. A maid faints on to a chaise longue. Poirot: 'Inspector Japp, instruct your officers to take this man away – before we are subjected to any more of his sickening dog whistles.' Inspector Japp: 'Well, it seems that congratulations are in order once again, Monsieur Poirot. All I can say is, I can't believe my men overlooked all that evidence when they were searching the villain's property. They're normally very good at spotting that sort of thing.'
