500,000 members ‘considering’ strike action is interestingly ambivalent phrasing (nothing new for the Mail, of course), with the word likely to be understood in the colloquial sense of ‘planning’.
As a former NEU member, I still find myself angered by the common assumption that the union represents the views of the profession as a whole. Many, if not most, teachers join a union for the legal protection against false allegations by pupils or other staff - it’s a bit like AA membership for drivers; expensive but helpful if things go badly wrong.
In the past, teachers opposed to striking could join unions with a stated ‘no strikes’ policy. However, a power grab by activists took advantage of these relatively apolitical union members and dragged them into militant organisations; for example, Mary Bousted, now joint leader of the NEU, joined the non-striking ATL with a cabal of associates and, having risen to the top (very few members ever bothered to vote for the leadership), engineered a merger with the NUT which was approved by only 18% of the total membership.
This means that 98,000 of the NEU’s members have never willingly joined a striking union; I hope that this time they are willing to stand up and be counted.
(Sorry for the long-winded comment. If you’ll permit the link, I have a post with more background detail: https://newgatenews.blogspot.com/2020/05/teaching-and-union-stranglehold.html)
"...with the word likely to be understood in the colloquial sense of ‘planning’."
Oh, I've no doubt! Meanwhile, little evidence of the postal strike here, apart from a Christmas card that turned up yesterday. And the complete lack of junk mail to go directly into the bin.
"If you’ll permit the link"
Always!
"Specially if you spell it that way!"
D'oh! Oh, well, a good effort for one mostly composed of cheese and wine at the time of posting!
6 comments:
500,000 members ‘considering’ strike action is interestingly ambivalent phrasing (nothing new for the Mail, of course), with the word likely to be understood in the colloquial sense of ‘planning’.
As a former NEU member, I still find myself angered by the common assumption that the union represents the views of the profession as a whole. Many, if not most, teachers join a union for the legal protection against false allegations by pupils or other staff - it’s a bit like AA membership for drivers; expensive but helpful if things go badly wrong.
In the past, teachers opposed to striking could join unions with a stated ‘no strikes’ policy. However, a power grab by activists took advantage of these relatively apolitical union members and dragged them into militant organisations; for example, Mary Bousted, now joint leader of the NEU, joined the non-striking ATL with a cabal of associates and, having risen to the top (very few members ever bothered to vote for the leadership), engineered a merger with the NUT which was approved by only 18% of the total membership.
This means that 98,000 of the NEU’s members have never willingly joined a striking union; I hope that this time they are willing to stand up and be counted.
(Sorry for the long-winded comment. If you’ll permit the link, I have a post with more background detail: https://newgatenews.blogspot.com/2020/05/teaching-and-union-stranglehold.html)
PS. Postal strikes permitting, of course - you’re right: the Schadenfreude is exquisite!
Specially if you spell it that way!
Specially if you spell it that way
Wouldn't mean any kind of joy in that configuration, JuliaM.
"...with the word likely to be understood in the colloquial sense of ‘planning’."
Oh, I've no doubt! Meanwhile, little evidence of the postal strike here, apart from a Christmas card that turned up yesterday. And the complete lack of junk mail to go directly into the bin.
"If you’ll permit the link"
Always!
"Specially if you spell it that way!"
D'oh! Oh, well, a good effort for one mostly composed of cheese and wine at the time of posting!
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