Latest news with #DanielKebede
Telegraph
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
There's one union which doesn't stand by the profession which belongs to it
What is the point of a union if it does not stand up for the interests of its members? Say what you will about the antics of Aslef and the RMT – as The Telegraph has frequently pointed out, their industrial action has inflicted misery on millions of commuters who have to endure delays and cancellations on commuter trains and the London Underground – but their exorbitant demands on pay and conditions have clearly been to the benefit of train and Tube staff. The National Education Union (NEU), led by the avowed Marxist Daniel Kebede, has had a rather poorer record in defending some in the teaching profession. A teacher at Preston College in Lancashire posted on Facebook to say that Lucy Connolly was 'obviously wrong' to say what she had on the platform in the aftermath of last summer's Southport murders, and that the comments were 'appalling' but that she 'should not have been jailed' for them. A representative of the NEU at Preston College then made a formal complaint to the college, saying that the teacher's own posts were 'Islamophobic' and 'racially discriminatory'. After an investigation, the college dismissed the teacher for violating its policies, although this is now being challenged in the courts. The NEU did the very opposite of sticking up for a member of the profession. In this regard, it is a serial offender. The union has more than 34,000 members working in independent schools. Labour's imposition of VAT on school fees clearly goes directly against these members' interests. Some will lose their jobs as schools are no longer economically viable and close. Many more will see their conditions of employment not improve and pensions worsen as schools try to cut costs to balance their budgets and ameliorate the impact of the tax hike on parents. But the NEU did not campaign against the move, saying that they could 'best use their influence behind the scenes'. Ideology seemingly trumps members' interests. Teachers deserve better.
Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Number of kids registered for free childcare soars - as more parents to benefit
Some 457,000 children aged nine months to two years were registered for a childcare place thanks to the expansion of 15 hours free childcare in September last year Around half a million more children under five were registered for a funded childcare place in the last year compared to the 12 months before. A record 1.7 million children under five were registered – a 33% increase - following a major expansion of free provision. Some 457,000 children aged nine months to two years registered for a place thanks to the expansion of 15 hours free childcare in September. Previously only three and four-year-olds were eligible. Data also shows 18,200 more staff members were delivering free childcare this January, compared to the same time this year. The total rose to 272,500 after a 7.2% increase - the largest annual rise since the data series began. From September, all eligible families with children aged nine months to three years will be able to access 30 hours a week. These hours can be used over 38 weeks of the year during school term time, or up to 52 weeks if fewer hours are used each week. Parents who want to get 30 hours from this September must apply by August 31. A couple's combined annual salary must be less than £100,000 for them to be eligible. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'It is extremely positive that more families now have the choice of accessing funded early education and childcare and are benefitting from this.' But he added: "We know from a school and provider perspective, funding levels remain incredibly tight, and we urge government to keep this under constant review. When it comes to early education, quality matters." The National Education Union (NEU) urged for more support to be given to Maintained Nursery Schools, which it said provide high quality early education especially for disadvantaged families and children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND). Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: "Given that high quality early education and care is essential to improving children's life chances, it is not a surprise that demand for funded hours are now at record levels since entitlements were expanded. "The government should be building up high quality public provision with Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) front and centre. MNS provide the highest quality of early education, especially for disadvantaged families and children with SEND. Funding pressures make their future uncertain. The government must act now to protect and expand MNS and consider how they can support the delivery of funded hours." Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'It is brilliant to see our reforms to early education delivering for so many families, with tens of thousands more funded places and staff compared with stagnating numbers just last year, and more parents than ever accessing government funded childcare. 'We are setting up even more parents to benefit from September's expansion to 30 funded hours, saving them up to £7,500 per year, alongside our investment in free breakfast clubs and school based nurseries to give parents more choice and slash costs.'
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK union leaders express fear over erosion of right to protest in open letter
More than 20 union leaders have expressed their deep concern over the apparent erosion of the right to peaceful protest, piling pressure on the Metropolitan police over its handling of pro-Palestinian marches at the start of the year. Paul Nowak of the Trades Union Congress, Christina McAnea of Unison, Daniel Kebede of the National Education Union, Matt Wrack of the NASUWT and Eddie Dempsey of the RMT are among 22 trade union general secretaries who have criticised the Met's decision to arrest and charge former union members who took part in peaceful protest on 18 January. The joint statement from the union leaders follows frustration shared over the government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action, despite concerns the move could risk criminalising legitimate protest. While the statement from the union leaders does not express support for the proscribed group, they say the arrest and subsequent charges brought against those who attended a peaceful pro-Palestinian protest on 18 January mark an 'attack on our right to protest'. The former NEU executive member Alex Kenny and the general secretary for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Sophie Bolt, were arrested alongside more than 70 other people including Ben Jamal, the director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Chris Nineham, the vice-chair of the Stop the War coalition. In the joint statement – whose signatories also include Dave Ward of the Communication Workers Union and Mick Whelan of Aslef – they call for all these charges to be dropped and note: 'We believe these charges are an attack on our right to protest … the freedoms to organise, of assembly and speech matter; we must defend them.' They add: 'We are deeply concerned that the Metropolitan police are bringing charges against former NEU executive member Alex Kenny and Sophie Bolt, CND secretary, following the peaceful protest for Palestine in London on 18 January. 'These charges follow the decision to prosecute Chris Nineham, Stop the War Coalition vice-chair, and Ben Jamal, Palestine Solidarity Campaign director. Alex Kenny is a longstanding and widely respected trade union activist who has organised peaceful demonstrations in London for decades. 'He was chief steward for the NEU national strike demonstration in March 2023. He has played a leading role in many demonstrations organised in the TUC region covering London and the south-east. 'We believe these charges are an attack on our right to protest. The right to protest is fundamental to trade unions and the wider movement. 'The freedoms to organise, of assembly and of speech matter; we must defend them. We call for the charges against Alex Kenny, Sophie Bolt, Chris Nineham and Ben Jamal to be dropped.' In the wake of the protest in January, dozens of legal experts signed a letter calling for an independent inquiry into the Met's policing of the demonstration, describing it as 'a disproportionate, unwarranted and dangerous assault on the right to assembly and protest'. MPs, peers and Amnesty International had also expressed concerns about the policing of it, with the Green party London assembly member Zoë Garbett telling the assembly's police and crime committee meeting that she had been contacted by more than 150 people who recalled incidents of kettling and police violence towards children, pregnant women and older people. At the same protest, the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell were voluntarily interviewed under caution in relation to the march, before being 'released pending further investigations'. Their criticism was followed by demands from MPs and peers, who also wrote to the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, calling for a review of legislation limiting protest, which was introduced by the Conservative government.
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Schools lose 600 teaching days a year as local strikes escalate
Strikes by the UK's largest education union cost schools almost 600 teaching days last year as local disputes multiplied. The National Education Union's (NEU) 593 days of local walkouts in 2024 represented a seven-fold jump over the past five years. The most recent national strike action among teachers was in 2023 in the midst of a major clash with the Government over pay, but unions frequently stage walkouts on a local level. Strikes often happen in various different schools on the same day due to differing local disputes. Telegraph analysis of NEU annual accounts show the union's local strike activity has soared over the past few years. The organisation held 38 successful ballots among members in 2018/19 as a result of various disputes over teaching conditions, resulting in 80 days of lost learning for pupils that year. This dropped to 48 days of walkouts in 2019/20 but has rocketed every year since then, with 132 days of local walkouts the following year, 155 in 2021/22 and 184 in 2022/23. 'Worst recruitment and retention crisis' Daniel Kebede, the NEU's general secretary, told The Telegraph that worsening teaching conditions had prompted the significant rise in local walkouts. 'Teachers want to be in the classroom not the picket line but the notable increase in disputes across the country is a clear indication of problems facing the education workforce,' he said. 'Problems exacerbated by a lack of funding, an unmanageable workload, issues around pay and, in the independent sector, pensions. All of which are leading to the worst teacher recruitment and retention crisis in a generation.' The union faced protests this week after parents at one group of academies in south London were given just four days' notice of teacher strikes. Hundreds of staff at the Charter Schools Trust are due to walk out this week in a dispute over maternity pay, with further strike dates set for July 15, 16, and 17. The Trust has already agreed to three of four of the NEU's demands for teachers at the group of nine schools, which have more than 4,500 pupils aged from four to 18. It is understood to have agreed to decouple pay rises from performance, form a staff group for workload and well-being issues, and recognise teachers' union membership. But the Trust told the NEU it could not afford a demand for higher maternity pay, which could amount to as much as £4,863 extra for the highest-paid teachers. Chris McGovern, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education (CRE), told The Telegraph the strike action was 'damaging, selfish and grossly unfair on pupils'. In a letter to parents, Alison Harbottle, the head teacher of The Charter School East Dulwich, said the strikes were 'deeply regrettable', adding: 'I am extremely sorry for the disruption caused to your child's education.' Clash over Jamaican staff NEU members at a separate academy in south London also walked out on Tuesday, with the union claiming that Jamaican staff were 'targeted' by their bosses and underpaid thousands of pounds. Staff at Harris Beckenham said they were launching two days of strike action over complaints they are being 'severely overworked to the point of exhaustion', and have been forced to deal with an unacceptable management style. The Harris Federation, one of the UK's largest academy chains, previously came under fire after being accused of paying Jamaican teachers less than their British colleagues. A spokesman for the Harris Federation said they 'wholly refute any allegations of racism', and insisted that Jamaican teachers' pay and conditions 'are exactly the same as others in the same position'. A 2023 report by the Office for National Statistics found the education sector had one of the highest number of working days of any industry lost due to strike activity. During that year, millions of pupils were disrupted by nationwide teaching strikes, including eight days of walkouts by NEU members in England. Tensions cooled last year after the Government handed out above-inflation pay offers to the public sector, meaning teachers received fully-funded rises of 5.5 per cent last year. Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, announced in May the sector will receive a further 4 per cent pay rise next year, although this is only partially funded. Mr Kebede promised to lodge a formal dispute with the Government unless ministers promise to fully fund the latest pay offer, warning that it would lead to 'cuts… job losses, and additional workloads' in many schools. The NEU has over 450,000 members, making it the largest education union in the UK and Europe. Local strike action by other teaching unions is far lower, Telegraph analysis shows, although numbers appear to be rising. The NASUWT teaching union, which has 300,000 members, launched 269 days of walkouts in 2022/23, up from just 25 the year before and 60 in 2018/19.
Telegraph
08-06-2025
- 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.
