Developing Strategies

And an article for Education for Tomorrow and the STA journal Education for Liberation earlier this year on similar themes:

Education faces the most sustained political attack since the formation of a state education system in the 1870s.  That much is plain.  The academy and 'free' schools privatisation programme, attacks on education workers' pensions, regressive curriculum and qualification changes, and the dismantling of national pay are all part of a broad 'reform' programme which seeks to dismantle the state education system and replace it with a fully-privatised education market, driven by profit.

This attack, as many commentators have pointed out, is clearly ideologically-driven.  There is no doubt that Gove, Wilshaw, Cameron et al are motivated by an ideological belief in the free market and complete opposition to state provision of education as a social good.

However, it also has a clear economic basis.  Our state education system is a genuine gain won by working people, allowing them access to education which would once have been reserved for the rich.  At the same time, it has also played an economic function as a subsidy, from general taxation, for employers who require a skilled workforce to compete in the modern economy.  Hence the ongoing debates about the role of business in determining the curriculum necessary to produce school-leavers and graduates who can 'help us to compete in today's global economy'.

In the current economic climate, though, this is no longer enough.  Our economic system relies on constant expansion in order to survive.  The very logic of capitalism is that, as investment capital produces profits, there must be an ever-increasing pool of investment opportunities in which to put this new capital to work.  At the same time, the rate of profit must be sustained, regardless of trends in the real economy.

One key way of doing this is via state-subsidised investment – e.g. a state-funded education system run by private companies for profit.  Under this model, general taxation is not only used to provide indirect subsidy to business via the provision of a skilled workforce, but also provides direct subsidy to profits generated within the education system itself.  This was the model behind the privatisation of utilities under the Thatcher government and is one of the key reasons for the artificially-high rate of profit in the private service sector over the past 30 years.

But there is one major factor standing in the way of this privateers dream of new markets and state-subsidised profits – a highly unionised workforce.

It is not just the current threat posed by the teaching unions that is of concern to big business and their supporters in government, but the potential threat – the threat of what the teaching unions may become.  This is the threat of a highly-unionised workforce, united behind a single banner, with a voice in every school and every classroom, and a strong network of support throughout local communities.  Because education affects everyone, a strong teachers union has the opportunity to unite not just the entire teaching profession but also governors, local authorities, parents, grandparents, students, ultimately the whole community.

So, as we embark on the fight of our lives, our underlying aim must be to transform ourselves into this force which alone is capable of defeating the neoliberal agenda and realising our aim of a good local school for every child.

A single union

Firstly, we must build a single teaching union, representing all those employed as teachers in schools in England and Wales.  Talking about Professional Unity is no longer enough.  We must take concrete steps to create it.  That means each teacher union conducting an analysis of the benefits of there being one union for all teachers in all sectors and actively campaigning for such a single union.  It means genuine collaboration, both formally and informally, in exploring the possibilities of partnership, confederation and merger between the existing teacher lecturer unions.

We must also not allow the government to divide the profession through the introduction of unqualified teachers into schools.  Whilst maintaining a clear position that it is every child's right to be taught by a qualified teacher, teachers unions must go out to organise this vulnerable section of the workforce.  We must do this in the full knowledge that, without uniting all those employed as teachers, we will be unable to defend the rights of our members, whether qualified or unqualified, and of the young people they teach.

School based

Secondly, we need to ensure our Union is genuinely rooted in every school and every classroom.  This means embracing a grassroots organising agenda to develop strong school groups with well-trained elected school representatives, who are capable of collectively defending their terms and conditions and of rooting the Union's national campaigns in local experience.  We cannot accept the dangerous cynicism which suggests that this is not possible or that it should not be pursued.  The key strength of teacher unionism is its membership.  Our members are the source of our strength and it is they who should control it.  To suggest that they cannot, or should not, organise collectively to wield that strength is the antithesis of trades unionism.

We must take a targeted approach to this work, both at a local and national level, to turn the government's attack into a strategic opportunity for the Union.  Much of this will depend on the support and training we provide to school reps and to school groups and the extent to which we use every opportunity to build their organisation and cohesion.  We need to actively campaign for release time for school representatives and to support them to use it where it exists.  We need to develop resources for reps to support them in representing members and negotiating with employers, and we need to develop local networks through which they can share their experiences.  Throughout all of this, the long-term strategy of developing an effective and organised presence in every school in England and Wales must remain our overriding priority.  Only then will we truly have a union which represents the entire teaching profession.

Rooted in the community

Finally, we must root our local associations and school groups firmly within their local communities.  Our Union should play a key role in all educational issues at local level, not just those which affect the terms and conditions of members.  As the voice of the profession, we should carry out pro-active press work to challenge the negative portrayal of teachers and schools.  The right of every child to a good local school is a demand which could mobilise huge support within communities but we need to act to build long-term organisations and alliances, not just mobilisations on specific issues.  Similarly, the Union must engage on issues of broader social concern as our members do not exist in a vacuum but are a part of the communities in which they live and teach. Issues of child poverty and youth unemployment are of vital concern for the families of the pupils whom we teach.

This community work cannot be seen as an additional extra.  It must be an integral part of the work of the Union and we must seek to engage all members in carrying it out.  At the same time, it may act as a way of engaging members for whom these issues, not traditional trades union issues, are a priority.  It also has the potential to build networks of support around teachers which may prove vital in taking campaigns forward.

We must also develop a political expression of this broader community work.  In the run up to local and national elections, the Union should carry out targeted community organising campaigns on specific educational issues to translate the strength of its membership and its broader support within the community into direct influence on local and national education policy.  This would not be about supporting or standing individual candidates but about changing the political landscape within local communities to make educational issues a priority.

Taken together, these suggestions do not present an easy path.  Indeed, they will require significant work.  However, the building of a single teachers' union, rooted in every school and classroom in England and Wales, with strong networks of support throughout local communities, would be a huge step forward in defence of our schools and our vision of education.

Gawain Little
Oxfordshire Secretary
National Executive member
National Union of Teachers