Issue 59, Spring Term 2016

Teacher
Northern

INVINCEIBLE!
the office and by those around
the region who have had need
fond farewell to Vince Allen,
(and those that havent are
who has served as Principal
veritable hens teeth!) to call
Officer here at the Northern
Region Office since 2007. Vince on those attributes when
required. Many current and
originally served in Newbury
from 1987 and in Exeter, where former officers have a battery
of reasons to thank Vince for
he was Principal Officer from
his support and advice over the
1989 until he was once again
years since his appointment.
drawn Northwards, having
Vince has also been
previously been a Head of
instrumental in his organising
Department at King Edward
VIs school in Morpeth. It goes of various councils and events,
including regional training,
without saying that Vinces
regional council, health and
seemingly bottomless pit of
safety advisors meetings as
knowledge and sensible,
pragmatic approach to matters well as keeping on track the
often excitable forum that is
will be sorely missed both in

This April we say a very

TUC

the EASC!
It could not be considered
irreverent to adapt the first line
from Rudyard Kiplings IF and
say:
If you can keep your head

when all about you are losing

theirs and relying on you
whilst professing that there is
no-one more apt for it to be
applied to than Vince.
We hope Vince enjoys his
well-earned retirement. Thank
you for all of your years of first
rate service Vince, youll be
missed!

UNIONS WEEK
Members of Newcastle
Associations executive show
their support for the
#heartunions week that was held
from Monday 8th February.
Read more about both the
weeks events and the Trade
Union Bill elsewhere in this
edition

arts within our ever narrower

curriculum, or Andy and Katie
from Hartlepool and
During the now firmly
Middlesbrough respectively
established RECT weekend, we
looking at ways to reach trainee
once again played host to a
teachers and those on School
cohort of newer activists looking Direct programmes, theres
to develop their role within the
clearly a lot going on. Laura and
Union. This was the second
Kim from Newcastle spoke of
session for the third GAIN cohort how they had had to adapt their
(how time flies!), and we heard
plans responding to a proposal
about the exciting projects these for their school partnership to
teachers are
become a multi-academy trust,
undertaking. Whether it is Sarah but are still focused on their aim
from Gateshead raising
to involve more members in
awareness of the assault on the

Getting Active in the

NUT (GAIN)

To our latest winners of the Northern Region

Representative of the Year, Fiona Heslam from
Workington, and the Northern Region Officer of the
Year, Leanne Bateson from Scarborough.
Fiona organised union activity in her new school
where unions were not recognised, organising
meetings, a notice board and involving the local
association where necessary. She met with the
Division Secretary who supplied NUT materials and
shared the narrative of how things are improving
with increasing Union organisation at UTC.
Leanne is an energetic and enthusiastic Young
Teacher Officer. She has created and maintained
North Yorkshire NUTs Facebook page. She has made
in excess of 100 posts on social media. These
postings have enthused young teacher members
around a number of issues including encouragement
to play their full part in the union's democratic
process, work life balance, Ofsted, public
misconceptions about teachers, raising awareness of
educational issues and workplace rights, even a
posting on growing potatoes in school! Leanne has
also organised well-being events, teach-meets and
has promoted union training including the everpopular RECT.
Very well done to both winners!
We look forward to receiving nominations from
associations and divisions later this year for the 2017
winners!

Issue 59, Spring Term 2016

Union activity.
This work is growing within
the region, and some of the
contributions from these younger
members are having a real
impact, not just within their own
school partnerships and
associations, but increasingly at a
national level. We look forward
to our next get together in the
summer, and to, in September,
meeting the fourth cohort, who
will once more no doubt amaze
us with their creativity and
enthusiasm.

To our very own Anne Swift of North Yorkshire Division who will be
installed as the Unions President at Conference this year. Anne
said:
" I am looking forward to my presidential year and meeting as
many members as possible. I feel enormously privileged to be your
president and I hope I can present a professional face of the Union
to everyone I meet. I am very aware, if not a little
daunted, by the responsibility of representing the
union at home and abroad. I am also aware that I
am following in a long line of Presidents from the
Northern Region and I am very keen to live up to
the high standards they have set.
I have been very busy preparing for conference
and the arrangements are now all in place,
including my speech which has gone off to the printers. My
conference secretary, Jean Laight, and I have visited the venue and
I have seen the staging which looks great. This year members will
also be able to download the conference app which will give them
lots of information on their mobile devices and cut down on the
amount of paper they need to carry around.
I think there are many challenges facing us but we are also
moving into a period in our union's history which is very exciting
and I am very glad to be at the heart of it.
I look forward to seeing delegates at conference and if you
would like me to speak at any of your meetings please contact
m.pilloni@nut.org.uk
Thank you for all you do for our members and for your support.
See you all soon
Anne

Page 2

The TUC #heartunions week of action

showcased and celebrated the great work done
by unions in our
workplaces and
society. The

current great work being done, by trade unions.

The government attack on trade unions is
crystallized in the
current transition
through Parliament

Northern Region
NUT fully
engaged with
the spirit of the
action, tweeting
and posting on
Facebook
anything and
everything that
demonstrated the gains made, as well as the

of the Trade Union

Bill (see below).
Here is a picture
showing a very
happy group from
the Advanced
Representatives
Training Course that
was held in Durham
on three days during the #heartunions week.

The Trade Union Bill

introduce legislation that would:

Increase ballot thresholds for

lawfully taking industrial
some commentators have
action

Impose punitive time limits

described the Trade Union Bill,
for strike mandates
currently going through
Allow employers to hire
Parliament. The Bill threatens civil
agency workers during strike
liberties and would tie unions up in
action
regulation. It is designed to
Introduce draconian
drastically reduce, if not eradicate,
measures for union
the right to industrial action. The
supervision of picketing
NUT have mounted, alongside and

Demand compliance with the

within the TUC, a campaign to
Certification Officer about
defeat the bill.
industrial action

A flagrant attack on
union democracy is how

The government proposes to

Issue 59, Spring Term 2016

Introduce the requirement of

public sector employers to
publish information on the
facility time of trade union
representatives

It has now passed to the House of

Lords where it will meet its greatest
challenge thus far. Make sure you
write to or e-mail your MP to
continue to make your opposition
known and follow the NUTs
ongoing campaign at
www.teachers.org.uk
regularly.
Page 3

February 19th saw the launch of the LGBT History

Month Tyne and Wear Hub in Newcastle, partly sponsored
by the NUT, with a drinks reception and theatre
performance of Jarman in Pieces at the Literary and
Philosophical Society in Westgate Road. On Saturday,
there was an afternoon of free public talks on LGBT History
at the Discovery Museum in the afternoon, and a morning
of CPD training for teachers on incorporating LGBT History
into the school curriculum, and on promoting equality,
safety and visibility for LGBT people in education . Around
40 teachers from across the Region attended the event,
including many student teachers from the University of
Sunderland. An excellent presentation on the work and
history of Schools Out UK, the LGBT education charity, was

given by its co-chair Tony Fenwick, who is also an NUT

Equalities Officer in Luton. Although not an NUT event,
much of the information provided by Tony and other
speakers was based on the NUT Prevalence of
Homophobia Survey and other work carried out by the
Union.
UNISON and the ATL also co-sponsored the programme
for the day, but only the NUT had a presence on the day at
the Discovery. Newcastle Association set up a stall
providing information on equality and diversity issues, as
well as other current campaigns, which ran for the three
hour teacher-only session and received praise and thanks
from the organisers and many of the attendees.

The Durham Miners Gala The Big Meeting 9th July 2016
At a time when the government is attacking our fundamental human right to strike, the
Durham Gala is vital to keeping the spirit of solidarity alive and has always been a powerful
symbol of trade union and community values of equality, democracy and working people standing by each other. But now
the Gala needs your support. So it can fight for a fairer future for all and for the Gala to continue to be a beacon of hope and
solidarity next year and beyond, your support is needed. Please become a friend of the Gala, which can be done online
through direct debit. To join, visit: www.friendsofdurhamminersgala.org/join_us
This years Gala will be held in Durham on 9th July 2016 - the 132nd Big Meeting - The Durham Miners Gala, also known as
The Big Meeting is Britains biggest and most historic celebration of trade union values. First held in 1871, more than
150,000 people fill the streets every second Saturday in July to celebrate their heritage and the values of solidarity and community so go along and join us.

The National Union of Teachers is both a professional association and a trade union. It is the largest and most influential teachers'
organisation in Europe, recruiting only qualified teachers, or those who are on courses or in posts that will lead to teacher qualification.
Complete Protection. Being a member of the NUT brings access to the very best legal and professional protection. It gives you a service
unrivalled in the teaching profession.
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officers and solicitors, as well as other expert staff to give confidential advice, information or assistance on employment rights and other
matters relating to your professional life.
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also campaign for fair pay and reform of the assessment system.
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Young Teachers. We have a thriving young teachers section for all full members under 36. To find out more, visit our website
www.teachers.org.uk.
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professional body, articulating the views of the profession, would benefit both children and teachers.
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Campaign for Education, working for every child in the world to have a primary school education by 2015.

NUT Northern Region

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GATESHEAD, NE9 5BF
AdviceLine: 0203 0066 266
nutadviceline@nut.org.uk
@NUTnorthern