Latest news with #Wrack
STV News
03-05-2025
- STV News
School security 'a lottery' putting staff and pupils at risk, teachers warn
Security measures at schools are 'a lottery' leaving the safety of pupils and school staff to chance, teachers have warned. The NASUWT Scotland union claims there has been a failure to implement or retain improvements following the Dunblane massacre nearly 30 years ago. Teachers are concerned that measures to control access to school buildings are no longer strictly applied. The union is calling for the Scottish Government to provide consistent standards of school safety and security for staff and pupils across Scotland by providing the necessary resources to help protect every school site from intruders or attacks. Representatives attending the NASUWT Scotland union's annual conference on Saturday in Glasgow will highlight a failure to maintain security measures in schools implemented Matt Wrack, NASUWT acting general secretary, said: 'We must never forget the horrific events which took place in Dunblane in 1996 in which 16 pupils and their teacher died and 15 others were injured, nor the collective desire to work collaboratively thereafter to ensure that tragedy could never happen again. 'The Cullen Inquiry at the time recognised that those who have the legal responsibility for the health and safety of the teaching staff and pupils in schools should prepare a safety strategy for the protection of the school population against violence, together with an action plan for implementing and monitoring the effectiveness of safety measures appropriate to the particular school. 'Sadly other attacks and attempted attacks on staff and pupils on school sites in the UK have taken place in recent years and teachers report approaches to school security have not been consistently maintained.' Mr Wrack said guidance should be developed in partnership with industry experts and trade unions to ensure schools are aware of their obligations and responsibilities on safety. The unions said parents have the right to expect consistent safety and security when they send children to school. But Mike Corbett, NASUWT Scotland national official, said it varies considerably across the country. He said this was often due to the age of the school building, the availability of resources for school maintenance and the adherence of employers to safety guidance. 'This is not about turning schools into fortresses, but putting in place proportionate measures to ensure security is not compromised,' he said. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The Dunblane atrocity was one of Scotland's darkest days and we will always remember the 16 children and the teacher who tragically lost their lives. 'Although it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their school estate, we expect them to provide safe environments for all school users.' A COSLA Spokesperson said: 'Councils take the health and safety of their workforce and those that access their services very seriously. 'This obviously includes children, young people and school staff. Every effort is made to ensure that learning environments are safe and secure spaces that are also welcoming and nurturing. If any employee feels unsafe, they should raise this with their line manager in the first instance and follow local authority protocols in terms of alerting senior officers.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
New firebrand teaching union boss suggests he will fight to stay on despite legal challenge to his appointment
The new firebrand boss of a teaching union has indicated he will fight for his job following a legal challenge to his appointment. Matt Wrack, general secretary of the NASUWT, claimed outcry over his post was due to a 'hatchet job' by the media and the Tories. Yesterday, as the union was forced to invite other candidates to run against him, he suggested he will battle to the end for the role. Mr Wrack, who led the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for 20 years and has no teaching experience, has been described as 'overly combative' by ministers. He was also previously accused of downplaying anti-Semitism in the Labour party under the leadership of his ally, Jeremy Corbyn. However, the Left-wing executive of the union gave him the job unopposed while blocking a second more moderate candidate from running against him. Earlier this week, the union was forced by lawyers to reopen nominations – meaning Mr Wrack could be usurped if other candidates get enough local branch nominations. He has now been given the title of 'acting general secretary', pending the closing of the new nominations period. Today, as the union was forced to invite other candidates to run against him, Mr Wrack (pictured) suggested he will battle to the end for the role. Yesterday, Mr Wrack claimed there was 'some coordination' in the media criticism against him. He told The Guardian: 'It's about trying to do a hatchet job on me because they don't want effective trade unionism.' He added former Tory ministers Michael Gove and Damian Green 'didn't like' him after they accused him of being 'militant' and 'frightening', respectively. 'There seems to be quite a determined effort to portray me in a certain way,' he added. 'The idea that I simply want strikes is ludicrous and, frankly, a bit daft.' During the interview, he also dismissed claims he does not have enough experience to lead a teaching union, saying 'neither do many secretaries of state or senior civil servants'. And amid speculation that he could stand aside, Mr Wrack said he would remain the official candidate of the union's executive. This ruling body has the power to nominate their favourite candidate, who can only be challenged if someone else gets the approval of 25 local branches. 'I've simply been informed by the national executive that I remain the nominee of the national executive,' he said. Asked if he had done the right thing by standing despite failing to be re-elected as FBU general secretary, he said: 'I've made my decisions. I stand by them. 'The process will be what the process will be. And none of the criticisms are going to affect my personal outlook on life or on politics.' In his wide-ranging interview, he also denied he was friends with the Left-wing National Education Union's General Secretary, Daniel Kebede. And he also denied he had ever downplayed antisemitism, saying: 'I'm not a Zionist but I believe in a two-state solution.' The NASUWT was forced to U-turn on his appointment after lawyers for Neil Butler, the union's national officer for Wales, said he was unfairly blocked from running. He had been stopped because he was a staffer rather than a member, despite having previously been a teacher member for 30 years. Now Mr Butler will set about getting the local branch approvals needed for him to force an election against the executive's preferred candidate.
The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Matt Wrack plans to stay in post as teaching union's general secretary
The head of a teaching union has said he plans to stay in post despite a 'ludicrous' and 'coordinated' attempt by political enemies to undermine his position. Matt Wrack, whose appointment as general secretary of the NASUWT led to a week of legal challenges and the reopening of nominations for the post, said he would stand in a new election as the nominee of the union's executive. He also claimed 'there is some coordination' in a number of media 'hatchet jobs' from senior Tory figures, including the former ministers Michael Gove and Damian Green. In his first interview since the row was dragged into the courts last week, Wrack also: Dismissed claims he does not have enough experience to lead a teaching union, saying 'neither do many secretaries of state or senior civil servants'. Reassured members that he would not merge the union with the National Education Union and denied claims that he was friends with the NEU's general secretary. Said he had never downplayed antisemitism, as claimed by reports, saying: 'I'm not a Zionist but I believe in a two-state solution.' Amid speculation that he could stand aside, Wrack told the Guardian he would remain the official candidate of the union's ruling body. 'I've simply been informed by the national executive that I remain the nominee of the national executive,' he said. Wrack believes that senior Conservatives have jumped into the row in an attempt to damage trade unionism. Gove, a former education secretary, told a Spectator podcast: '[Wrack] is not a teacher, he is a former firefighter and a former member of the Militant tendency.' Damian Green, the former Home Office minister, told the Telegraph that Wrack was a 'frightening 1970s socialist'. Wrack said: 'I've never met Michael Gove in my life, but he seems to not like me. Damian Green, he seems to not like me. There seems to be quite a determined effort to portray me in a certain way, which I think is because I am an effective trade unionist. 'In 2022 the fire service was one of the few bits of the public sector that did not take action and achieved a pay settlement without a strike, through collective bargaining. So the idea that I simply want strikes is ludicrous and, frankly, a bit daft.' Wrack suspects there has been 'some coordination' in the media criticism. 'It's about trying to do a hatchet job on me because they don't want effective trade unionism,' he said. In April, Wrack was appointed as general secretary to Britain's second largest teaching union – a surprise because for the last 20 years he was best known as the leftwing leader of the Fire Brigades Union, whose politics contrasted with the more moderate positions of the NASUWT. Critics pounced on the fact he had never been a teacher and his appointment meant he did not have to contest an election. This week his position was thrown into doubt by a legal challenge, amid claims that his appointment was a 'fix' by the national executive that unfairly excluded potential candidates. Facing an injunction, the union was forced to backpedal and said it would reopen nominations and hold elections if other candidates were nominated. The high court ruled that the union had to pay costs of £78,000 for the legal challenge, with its own legal costs pushing the bill well over £100,000. Wrack said he could not comment on either the legal challenge or the upcoming re-election contest for fear of breaching the union's rules. 'I will not be discussing [the legal case against the NASUWT], that's not appropriate, and nor will I be discussing the NASUWT election,' he said. Some NASUWT members say they fear that Wrack is too close to Daniel Kebede, the NEU general secretary, and wants to see a merger between the two unions. Wrack dismissed the reports, saying he would not argue for a merger. 'The NASUWT conference took a very clear position on [a merger]. That's the decision-making body of the union, and whoever is the general secretary has to respect that decision. So I'm a bit bemused as to where this story has come from,' he said. 'I have spoken at, probably, I don't know, one or two meetings with Daniel over the years. I've been around the trade union movement for a very long time and on the TUC general council for 20 years. I know most people in senior positions in the trade union movement.' Wrack has been accused of being too close to Jeremy Corbyn and of downplaying antisemitism in Labour. Wrack said the claims were wrong, saying he was criticised at the FBU for working with cross-community groups in the UK and Israel. 'I wouldn't describe myself as a Zionist but I support a two-state solution in the Middle East … the FBU supported a position that is exactly the same as the TUC, which is to support a boycott of products from the occupied territories, but not a broader anti-Israeli boycott,' he said. Wrack, who went to a Catholic grammar school in Manchester and studied with the Open University before doing a part-time master's degree at the London School of Economics, said his lack of teaching experience was irrelevant. 'It strikes me that people seem to be able to be the secretary of state for education without any teaching experience,' he said. Asked if he had done the right thing by standing to be general secretary of the teaching union so soon after losing an attempt at re-election as FBU general secretary, Wrack said: 'I've made my decisions. I stand by them. The process will be what the process will be. And none of the criticisms are going to affect my personal outlook on life or on politics.'
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Hard-Left new teachers' union leader (who isn't a teacher!) faces racism claims from his last job
A hard-Left ex-fireman chosen to run a major teaching union is facing multiple allegations of racism and bullying, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Matt Wrack, a militant socialist who formerly led the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), was named as the new general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) on Tuesday despite having no teaching experience. A day later, an injunction application to have Mr Wrack's appointment rescinded was made after a would-be candidate was barred from running for the post. An MoS investigation has discovered that Mr Wrack is at the centre of three different employment tribunal disputes relating to his time at the FBU. Among the claims, it is alleged Mr Wrack racially discriminated against an Asian member of the FBU's executive council and personally blocked a black firefighter from joining the union. The claims are set to go to separate tribunal hearings. The MoS asked if Mr Wrack had declared the claims. He and the NASUWT declined to answer. Mr Wrack's appointment to the UK's second largest teaching union has prompted fears that the NASUWT could swing to the Left. The Jeremy Corbyn ally has been criticised by government sources for being 'overly combative'. Jewish leaders have also accused Mr Wrack of being insensitive to the problem of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. Speaking at the FBU's conference in 2016, Mr Wrack said 'the so-called furore about so-called anti-Semitism in the Labour Party' was 'in reality about an attack on the Left'. Now his uncontested appointment to the £130,000-per-year job has triggered legal action, with lawyers acting on behalf of potential candidate Neil Butler, the NASUWT's national officer for Wales, claiming that Mr Butler was barred from running. It is the first time the union has not been run by a former teacher, despite being Britain's only union exclusively for teachers. Separately, Mr Wrack has come under scrutiny in recent years over the FBU's use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Tens of thousands of pounds were paid in NDA payments to at least two FBU officials and one FBU staff member, all of whom left their roles after complaining that Mr Wrack mistreated them. The new allegations about Mr Wrack are set to be aired at upcoming employment tribunal hearings. Two claims are against the FBU and involve allegations about Mr Wrack in his capacity as FBU general secretary. These have been brought by FBU official Jon Lambe and union member Mohammed Ahmed. The third, brought by FBU executive council member David Shek, is against both Mr Wrack and the FBU. Last night Mr Wrack said: 'These claims are false and without merit as will be shown in a tribunal in due course. I am pleased that the FBU, on very strong legal advice, is defending the union itself, other FBU officials and me from these false claims.' An FBU spokesman said: 'The Fire Brigades Union is aware of claims brought against the union and our former general secretary, Matt Wrack. 'We will not go into any details of these claims as they are all still subject to legal proceedings. However, we can report that all of the claims lodged against the FBU and Matt Wrack will be vigorously defended by the union. 'We have robustly defended both ourselves and Matt Wrack from the outset against these claims and will continue to do so. Our legal team's advice is that the claims brought against the FBU and Matt Wrack are without merit. 'The FBU has a long and dedicated record of campaigning against racism and all forms of discrimination. Our record speaks for itself.'
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Teaching union faces legal action over appointment of firebrand leader amid anti-Semitism row as Jewish member says 'he doesn't represent us'
A teaching union is facing legal action over the appointment of a firebrand boss who is also embroiled in an anti-Semitism row. Matt Wrack, a hard-Left Jeremy Corbyn ally, was appointed uncontested as the General Secretary of the NASUWT despite being a former fireman with no teaching experience. Now lawyers have launched an application for an injunction to have the decision rescinded. They are acting on behalf of another would-be candidate, Neil Butler, who they say was unfairly blocked from standing against Mr Wrack. At the same time, critics rounded on Mr Wrack yesterday for comments he made in 2016 about anti-Semitism in the Labour party under Corbyn's leadership. He called the crisis 'the so-called furore about so-called anti-Semitism', implying it was part of an attempt to weaken Corbyn. Luke Akehurst, Labour MP for North Durham, called his appointment 'disappointing'. He told the Jewish News: 'I hope Mr Wrack does not drag the NASUWT into militancy aimed at undermining a Labour government or into… visceral anti-Zionism.' Russell Langer, director of communications at the Jewish Leadership Council, added: 'Jewish teachers who are members of the NASUWT will be rightly concerned by a general secretary who played a leading role in downplaying anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. 'At a time where Jewish teachers are dealing with a frightening rise in anti-Semitism in the workplace they deserve a union leader who will prioritise their welfare.' One Jewish member of NASUWT said: 'Wrack's appointment is genuinely frightening. He does not represent us.' It is understood there are 1,000 Jewish teachers in the NASUWT, which has previously been seen as a politically moderate union. Mr Wrack was selected by the NASUWT's Left-wing national executive as their preferred candidate after he failed to get re-elected for his previous role leading the Fire Brigades Union. Under NASUWT rules, anyone hoping to run against him – and force an election – would need the support of 25 local branches. It is understood Mr Butler, the NASUWT's national officer for Wales, set about gathering this support but was blocked because he was not a union member. This is despite him being a teacher and member for three decades, before giving up his membership to serve as staff for seven years. Mr Wrack's supporters say no rule exists to stop non-members standing, and in addition they claim the union ignored legal advice that he was unfairly blocked. Wrack would be the first leader in the NASUWT's history never to have been a qualified teacher or lecturer. He has previously been criticised as 'overly combative' by ministerial sources, due to his penchant for strikes. Daniel Pearn, a teacher and NASUWT member, told The Guardian: 'We know that [Matt Wrack] has never been a teacher, and for a teacher-led union that doesn't sit right with me. 'I feel that the person who goes to speak for us, and for our working rights, should be a teacher. 'In the past we've had general secretaries who have been in the profession, one way or another, as teachers or lecturers. 'It feels like a really odd appointment to me.'
