UCU NEC FE NEWSLETTER – LONDON & EAST REGION

Campaign special

Our schools Our colleges our communities – Time to pay up.

 

Hi hopefully by now you have received and sent out to all members the latest FE News (see attached) which outlines the national campaign to defend Further and Adult Education which starts by fighting for a fair pay award - one that at least keeps up with inflation. This year we are not alone.  The NUT are also campaigning against the pay freeze and all activities will be joint ones with teachers including, if the employers and the government don’t pay up, strike action.

 

We have a number of different events to build and organise over the next couple of months. What follows is a suggested action plan for all branches:

 

·         February:  Throughout this month we are calling upon all branches to organise meetings to discuss the campaign and how your branch can get organised.  Invite a teacher to come and address your branch.  If you need speakers get in contact with Sean. Is your college covered in posters? Has every member of staff had a leaflet? Pick a day where everyone wears a sticker.  If you do not have any of these materials get in contact with the national office.  There will be new leaflets coming out soon.

 

·         3-7 March:  Recruitment week: On the 3rd of March there will be a launch of Our schools, Our Colleges Our communities campaign in Central London.  This will also launch recruitment week.  The West Midlands will also be having one of these on the 4TH March. During the day across London we are asking every branch to set up recruitment stalls at their college. Let management know that you will be setting up a stall at lunch time or if you can organise a rota for the stall to keep it going all day, all the better.  Make sure you have enough materials for the stalls. More details will be sent out from the national office on how to organise the recruitment day.  The CWU recruited 6,000 new members during the course of their dispute; we need to do the same.

 

·         3rd March: Our schools our colleges our communities launch rally. This will be held in Central London with MPs, FE & HE lecturers, school teachers and national trade union leaders.  A leaflet will be out soon.  The press will be attending therefore we need to make sure that this is very well attended.  Simply sending out an email to all members will not ensure the maximum turnout. We will need to get around members asking them to come along after work. We should arrange to meet up after work with colleagues and come to the rally together. Try to create a sense of urgency around the rally by making sure that the posters are put up everywhere.  Hopefully we will have kicked off our recruitment week by being able to announce that we have recruited lots of new members during the course of the day.

 

Of course you will not be able to do this by yourself.  Arrange a branch committee meeting asap to map out how your branch is going to implement this campaign.  This is a fresh and new campaign; new and longstanding members could be inspired to get involved.  Let us know what ideas you have on how to get things moving so we can tell others.

 

This is phase one.  By the time we reach the rally we will be clearer what we need to do in relation to the ballot, strike action and the Mayoral election and a second campaign special will come out outlining phase two.

 

If you want an NEC member to come and address your branch or to meet up with your committee get in contact straight away.

 

 

Make your vote count

 

You should have received your ballot papers for the elections for the National Executive Committee (NEC).  These elections will elect your NEC members for 2008/9. These are important elections because the NEC is the main leadership body of the union. So please find some time to read through the candidate’s manifestos.  If you have not received a ballot form or would like more information please contact your Branch Secretaries.

 

Sean Vernell and David Armstrong have been elected to the NEC unopposed. Therefore they are London and East’s representatives on the NEC.  Brian Ingham is a nationally elected member of the NEC; his position does not come up for re-election until next year.

 

The closing date is 5.00pm on Friday the 29th February.  It is important that you don’t waste your vote - make sure you have your say in who runs your union.

 

 

Please send this newsletter out to all committee members

 

 

 

If there are any questions that you might have please do not hesitate to contact us at:

 

Sean Vernell: svernell@candi.ac.uk; Brian Ingham: bingham@rutc.ac.uk