Langdon dispute: Newham NUT votes 90 - 0 for borough-wide action

Langdon school staff were solidly out on the picket line this morning in their ongoing dispute over workload and bullying management - a dispute now raised to new levels  by the school's attempts to break the action by using supply staff to keep the school open on strike days.

It's hard to stand on a picket-line and see students going into school - even though most were very supportive to their teachers standing outside. But staff morale must have been raised by an unheard of turnout at a special Newham NUT meeting tonight. It was standing room only with 90 in attendance!


The school may have thought that it was onto an easy victory by following Tory advice to recruit supply staff directly to get round the Agency regulations (see previous post http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2011/11/union-busting-at-langdon-school-threat.html). But if they want to take on the Union, then the Union is ready to respond. As this would now turn the dispute into one with the borough who are presumably issuing the contracts to the strikebreakers, the Union can consider responding with a borough-wide ballot for action  ... and that was what was agreed by tonight's Newham NUT meeting - by 90 votes to 0!

NUT members will be out in force at the London N30 pensions demonstration tomorrow to make sure that everyone there knows about their dispute - and adds their solidarity and support.