Militant leftie teachers will NOT be striking (NASUWT England)

[noblegiraffe]

The ballots have been counted and despite 90% of the votes being in favour of strike action, only 42% of members returned their ballot therefore the 50% threshold of membership voting was not reached and strike action will not take place.

This is for NASUWT members, the second biggest teaching union. The largest teaching union, the NEU, will be announcing its results early next week (possibly Sunday). The NAHT headteachers' union will also be announcing strike ballot results shortly.

If the NEU strike and the NASUWT don't, schools still may close. If headteachers strike, who knows as it has never happened before.

I had one text on 4th January. That's all.

That's one more text than me, piggy. I got emails though.

I was about to make the same point. Lots of mature teachers have left the progression, and schools are full of younger ones.

The last union meeting that I attended at my school, that was too gauge support for union action, had the older teachers, who 'got' what strikes are and had lived through periods where they'd taken action and seen it work, in favour. The younger ones seemed positively bemused by the idea, and really apathetic. Industrial action had just never been part of their world, and they didn't particularly care. I doubt most of them would have been in the union at all, if it hadn't been spelled out to them that they needed the protection.

I'm also NASUWT and didn't receive a ballot paper - I assumed it was because I'm not currently employed in a school, so not eligible. I don't think supply teachers are eligible to vote for strike action either and there's a significant increase in the number of teachers now doing supply.

Is the 50% based on all membership or just those members eligible to vote? As if all membership, then actually a proportion of those who 'didn't vote' were actually eligible to vote!

Well, different unions but also I think it might be regional.

I had 3 or 4. 2 from regional rep. Few emails. 1 from a man called Patrick G. Wonder if some phones automatically block them.

Then of course there was the palaver over the white and green ballot papers.

I’m so annoyed at the turn out . I voted
to strike but that’s not the point. Education is on its knees . I really don’t think the public realise what a shit show it is.

I voted and returned my ballot within days of receiving it. However, weeks later got a text requesting my ballot to be returned... I'm surprised at only 42% so I definitely think issues with RM has hindered us.

Nurses and paramedics managed it!

If NEU strike, can I switch to them and strike?
I want my strong feelings to be known and heard and they are not in Nasuwt.
I'm disappointed in my apathetic/secret Tory colleagues.

I really don't think NASUWT are apathetic. I do think they didn't hassle you all enough. NEU are the stronger union. God I hope they vote to strike.

Thatcher's children and grandchildren. They simply don't have any awareness of what being in a union means. And they're supposed to be educating young people.

Any kid who's ever been taught An Inspector Calls should know about unions!

But then, maybe not. Suppose it depends on the angle you teach it from. I also think teachers are a little wary of being political in school. And a lot of young teachers have grown up in an era where union and strike are dirty words.

I was also thinking this

I didn’t know about the 50% threshold until reading it on mumsnet today. I voted. The NEU were persistent to say the least.

Blows my mind when colleagues are tories.
But then, I work in an area where even the sniff of being tory is enough for most of the kids to turn right off.

Calvin Robinson was a teacher...as was Jonathan Gullis. Gullis was a union rep!

@thanksithaspockets posted on another thread that the turnout for this ballot was better than the turnout for the ballot in 2011 where the NASUWT went on strike against Gove.

Exactly the same experience with me. I returned mine in November and I am not convinced it ever made it back to them...

I believe so. As long as you've applied to be a member by the strike date then you're protected. You don't need to have been a member when the ballot took place.

I sent mine back just after I got it at the end of the November. No further contact so assume received.
The unions need to get a LOT better at dealing with the press. The narrative is controlled by the government. We're already fighting against the 'we did nothing in lockdown' nonsense.
The vitriol I've seen in other places where people are complaining about ALL NASUWT members doesn't help either. One of our issues remains that we have so many different unions. And members within those pulling in different directions (I've seen NEU members argue that independent school teachers deserve to lose their pension rights for instance and that they 'shouldn't be in our union').
But yes, younger people are less aware of strikes and unions. As of course was Thatcher's intention.
And if teaching An Inspector Calls changed anything we wouldn't have had this lot in power for so long. It's been on the spec forever!

And Brendan Clark-Smith. And that awful anti vaxxer female MP who hangs around with Us For Them.

Gullis was a union rep.

As you said...

I still struggle to believe that they were. And wonder what it was like in their lessons. Particularly Calvin Robinson.

Any requests / demands / thoughts from the NASUWT will now not be taken seriously and will hold no weight at all, at least until the end of this government but likely beyond. The lack of voting by members has absolutely declawed the union and will allow the Tories to continue riding roughshot over the profession. After all, if their members have witnessed everything that's happened so far in education and the union still can't get the support for a strike through the voting threshold, the perception will become that the NASUWT has no power. The impact of this could potentially be huge and not just in the area of pay.