Back-door involved in teachers'

THE FIRST meeting of the working party on teachers' salaries takes place today and coincides with yet another document from the teachers' leaders, carefully explaining the justice of the union claim.

What 'Campaign Brief 7' makes clear is the National Union of Teachers' leaders are prepared to retreat before the Tories on the fight for a decent basic wage scale and to give substantial productivity concessions to management.

The NUT is claiming a 37-percent rise, but even so the basic pay scale would only be £1,250 to £2,200 rising to £2,375 for mented: 'Certainly, the pickings those with graduate allowances.

The document goes into some are substantial enough.' Repression of unions and of ditions:

'Compared with elimination of free social services, utilization of development in science and automation to cent ... eliminate jobs and create mass • " .. the average salary and unemployment, deliberate infla- wage earners have IMPROVED tion of prices to conform with their purchasing power by Common Market standards and between 25 per cent and 40 pe a blockage of wage increases are all part of the monstrous attacks cent. being prepared and carried out by the Tories.

Many of their proposals—gov- per cent.' (p. 5.) ernment-controlled labour courts, As the document rhetoricall government control of registra- nquires: 'Is it surprising tha tion of workers' organizations, the teaching profession is getting legally enforceable agreements restless?' are strongly reminiscent of the FAR REMOVED corporate state laws and decrees took power in Italy in 1922. laid down by Mussolini when he taking part whose pab is tar removed from However, the NUT leaders are In this situation 'protest' politics are worse than useless. giving Action is needed now on the Charter of Basic Rights issued • • the Burnham Committee by the All Trades Unions Alli- decided to set up a working ance and a concerted drive must party to consider the structural be made to force the union proposals in the Teachers' Panel leaders to call a General Strike claim and the management's prowhich will make the Tories posals. resign. 'A guarantee was given that The power workers' leaders the concept of the basic scale have ignominously retreated, but plus allowances, would not be •the power workers themselves ruled out(l) in the working party can play a decisive role alongside discussions.' (p. 27.) the rest of the working class in 'he management are insistin such an action. n a restructuring of the teach 12441400 A new ATUA pamphlet 6d EDUCATION REPORTER ing profession, designed to limit wage mobility and keep down the wages bill.

In this stand they are fully in line with the Tory government's proposals to fight 'inflation' by attacking living standards.

Management negotiators will face NUT secretary Edward Britcolleagues with added confidence in the light of the union leaders' retreat on pay and conwages and the fight against the anti-union Bill.

Management envisages an initial rise in the basic rate for all teachers of only 74 per cent and suggests five pay scales.

The minimum starts at £1,055 rising by increments to a maximum of £2,090 after 18 years.

These five pay scales would replace the present system of 75 above-rate payments.

achers has OTHER SCALES The rates for the other scales Scale €1,195 £2,130 years; Scale 3, £1.420 to £2,280 over ten years; Scale 4, £1,850 to £2,710 over ten and Scale €2,229 to £3.005 over eight years.

Under the employers' proposals all teachers on the basic scale will be on Scale 1 and all graded posts will fall into one of the other four.

the vast majority teachers will be on the lowest This is clearly a back-door productivity deal, in which speed-up is introduced by forcing teachers to compete for a limited number of graded posts in order get pay increases by moving onto another scale.

The management plan is plain, yet the document complains that it has i not declared its reasoning behind these proposals' 25.)!

It is also plain that not only the right wing, but also the Stalinists are unwilling and unable to fight the Tories.

In a letter to the "Teacher' of May I this year, Max Morris Stalinist member the NUT executive, wrote that he was satisfied with the 'assurances' given by the EC that a future working party 'would function only on any specific quéstions..