Lewisham teachers urge governors to reject Gove's performance-pay plans

The following joint letter is being sent to all Lewisham Headteachers, Chairs of Governors and Councillors from the secretaries of Lewisham ATL, NASUWT and NUT.

PAY POLICY: Don’t apply Gove’s damaging proposals in Lewisham schools

Michael Gove has asked that all schools review their pay policies to make sure that they are consistent with the revised statutory provisions due to take effect from 1 September 2013. However, his request is not being made in the interests of young people and schools. Instead, like so much of his education policy, Mr.Gove’s proposals are thoroughly flawed. They will divide and demoralise staff, setting back education.

Fortunately, while the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document will have changed, schools do not have to decide to adopt significant changes to ensure that existing pay structures comply with the revisions. Our national unions have compiled the enclosed checklists, which, however much Mr.Gove might object, are entirely consistent with the new provisions. By following these checklists, schools can maintain a clear and transparent pay policy that will help to recruit, retain and motivate teachers.

Reports from schools across Lewisham indicate that teachers are strongly opposed to Michael Gove’s damaging proposals. Like us, your staff will be seeking assurances that Governing Bodies will be adopting pay policies that are in line with the ATL and NASUWT/NUT checklists. We strongly believe that it is in the best interests of schools and education to follow our recommendations, so as to avoid:

• Schools finding it difficult to recruit teaching staff, particularly in Inner London.

Teaching Unions believe that teachers on the Main Pay Range should continue to be awarded pay progression following a successful performance review. If new teachers fear that they risk financial insecurity by joining a school that might not be awarding pay progression, they will go elsewhere. Teachers will be particularly wary of moving to London schools where the pressures on our pupils and their communities can mean that it is a greater challenge to meet externally imposed targets. We also believe that schools should continue to honour teachers’ previous salaries on the main and upper pay scales. Without this guarantee, experienced teachers will be unwilling to move from their existing post, or to apply to take up a new post.

• Schools having to deal with increasing numbers of grievances and pay appeals.

Teaching Unions believe that schools should adopt a common six-point Main Pay Range and three-point Upper Pay Range, and consistently award pay progression, as proposed in our checklists. Any other approach is bound to lead to significant division and ill-feeling. Governors will inevitably face a rising workload in handling complaints, grievances and claims for potential discrimination.

• Teaching and Learning being damaged through staff division and demoralisation.

Staff who feel valued and supported will make a far greater contribution to school improvement. Schools work best where there is collaboration and trust between teachers. Performance-pay will divide staff and damage teaching and learning. OECD research based on international PISA studies shows that there is no evidence that Gove’s plans will improve education.

If you wish to discuss these points further or be sent full copies of recommended policies, please contact :
Kim Knappett, Lewisham ATL 
Kathy Duggan, Lewisham NASUWT
Martin Powell-Davies, Lewisham NUT

Rally outside the Fire Consultation Meeting on Wednesday 22 May

The following letter has been sent to Lewisham NUT reps and all NUT members at Sydenham School - where the Fire Authority  consultation meeting is taking place at 7pm on Wednesday - with a rally also taking place outside the school from 6pm.

FIRE STATION CONSULTATION AT SYDENHAM SCHOOL on 22 MAY

The London Fire Authority are holding a meeting at Sydenham School on Wednesday evening.

Sydenham School is an ‘interesting’ choice of venue when the homes and  communities most directly affected by the fire station closure plans are in Downham and New Cross ! However, the fire-fighters’ union, the FBU, are trying to make sure that such skulduggery does not prevent local residents attending the meeting to make their overwhelming opposition to fire station closures known to the Fire Authority.

Of course, for teachers, these closures are a serious issue as we all know how important it is to have sufficient fire cover in the event of a school emergency. Just as we have argued over the A&E closure, times quoted for ‘average travel time’ for fire engines to reach Downham and New Cross from other fire stations take no account of the time it can take a fire appliance to reach a home or school during peak traffic periods in London. In short, these cuts WILL cost lives – unless they are prevented.

I know how busy we all are now with SATs, exam preparation and coursework but, as the Fire Authority have chosen to hold the meeting in the school with the biggest NUT membership in the borough, I hope that some of us can attend the protest outside Sydenham School at 6pm and stay, if possible, for the consultation meeting which starts  at 7 pm.

Lewisham NUT’s banner will be there and if Sydenham School’s banners can be there too, plus reps from other schools, it would be appreciated.

Let’s show some solidarity against cuts and closures and support our FBU colleagues on Wednesday,

Martin Powell-Davies, Secretary, Lewisham NUT.

South East London Rally for The People's Assembly 16/05/13

This will be held at 6pm in Room 137 of Goldsmiths College, New Cross.

Speakers include Aaron Kiely, NUS, Rachel Maskell, UNITE, Romayne Phoenix, Coalition of Resistance and a speaker from Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign  

Next Trades Council meeting Tuesday 14/05/13 7pm

The next trades council meeting will start at 7pm on Tuesday 14/05/13 at Deptford Campus of Lewisham College.

As well as hearing reports from delegates, we will be discussing how we can help with the next steps for the FBU campaign against fire station closures and plan for our next public meeting on Welfare.

If you are in a trade union and live, work or meet in Lewisham borough please join us. The remaining meetings for the year are as follows:

Tuesday 02/07/13 (this may be the date of the public meeting)
Tuesday 10/09/13
Tuesday 12/11/13

Support the Equinox Workers

The following bulletin has been produced by UNITE about yet another attack on services and workers being fought by union members.

What does ‘Fair’ and ‘Open’ mean to you?         

Equinox is an organization which seeks to offer specialist care to vulnerable men and women with alcohol, drug and mental health problems in various residential and community based services.

Equinox staff are currently threatened with salary cuts of between 10 and 25% This affects 80% of the workforce..Of those staff facing reductions almost half are due to lose the higher percentage. In real terms this means many staff are being expected to accept cuts of £5,000 to £6,000 and in some cases even more.

For many this is an impossible ask. It risks throwing people into debt, if not poverty. Staff speak about their inability to pay mortgages, pay for school uniforms or school trips, afford transport to work, or access dental treatment or eye care for themselves and their families. Union reps are contacted on a daily basis by members who are shocked by these proposals and terrified of the future should they be introduced. Many people have said to us that they have been put into a situation where the only choice they have is to fight these unfair cuts. Many fear that they may be forced ultimately to resign rather than remain in a post which no longer pays the bills. This is obviously a terrifying prospect for all in these harsh times.

Equinox’s answer to this seems to be that they are prepared to lose many of their most experienced and competent staff.

In a recent communication with the union they asserted that they believed some staff to be over qualified for their roles with experience and skills which exceed Equinox requirements. They go on to say,  ‘ Consequently we have to accept that some of our more qualified staff may look elsewhere.’

It would be interesting to know which services they believe require less qualified, less experienced, less skilled staff.

Do the commissioners know that they have been receiving a quality of service over and above that for which they have contracted?

Have Equinox gone so far as to inform them of this and explain that in future they may only be able to offer reduced quality of care?

This justification for slashing salaries is obviously disingenuous. It is also insulting to staff and to a body of work carried out over the years by Equinox and would appear to put the reputation and future of Equinox in serious jeopardy.

WHO PAYS?

An ugly consequence of the proposals as they currently stand is that a major gap in pay has been created between managers and frontline project workers. This did not exist in the past and for good reasons.

If these proposals go ahead Equinox will be creating a £7,500 pay differential between an Assistant Service Manager new in post and an experienced, highly functioning Project worker or Substance Misuse Worker. At present the salary difference is usually a fifth of that, reflecting the value placed on competent staff who spend the majority of their time working with the clients and helping them move on in their recovery.

Try collating outcome monitoring indicators or covering shifts , without competent, professional, innovative, valued, happy staff putting the work in with the people we have chosen to help.

It is significant that the word ‘hierarchy’ is used on at least two occasions in the formal consultation paper to justify these proposals. This strays from a recognizable Equinox ethos. As a business model it is short sighted, regressive and doomed to failure.

It has already had a catastrophic effect on current staff morale which management have acknowledged.

THE WAY FORWARD

Senior management should as a priority seek to negotiate with the union. Management should work with the union to campaign for proper funding from commissioners

Resources need to be directed into increased training for frontline workers and management so service users and commissioners can be offered quality services.[ Indeed Equinox already offers some quality services at prices recognized by commissioners as reasonable.]

The attempt to compete with some of the more ruthless low cost service providers, however tempting in these difficult times, needs to be seen as a step which Equinox can not afford to take.

 

FBU take campaign to the streets

Trades Council union reps joined FBU colleagues on Saturday to help with their campaign to save Downham and New Cross Fire Stations. The FBU toured the local area in their customised Fire Engine to enlist support of residents, using a PA, which played every fire related song you can think of!

The next stage of the campaign is the public meeting at on Monday 22/04/13 at 6:30pm at Downham Leisure Centre, Moorside Road, Bromley BR1 5EP 

Please attend and help plan the next stage of the campaign. And don't forget to log on, complete the consultation and tell Boris Johnson what we want: no fire station closures, no fire engines withdrawn and no job losses.   

Thank you Millwall FC

Thank you Millwall FC

On Saturday at Wembley on national television, Millwall FC showed that they are fully behind the campaign to Save Lewisham Hospital.

Their players warmed up for the FA Semi Cup Final, wearing t shirts emblazoned with the message "Save Lewisham Hospital A&E".

They also acknowledged the campaign banner, held up whenever any cameras came near. Well done Millwall and congratulations on a great cup run.