NEC Committee Meeting March 18th 2010


REPORT BY IAN MURCH NATIONAL TREASURER.

The Treasurer provided a positive picture of the Union's Finances with all spending within existing Budget Predictions

REPORT BY CHRISTINE BLOWER GENERAL SECRETARY (GS)

The GS spoke about recent research demonstrating that teachers were found to be the profession working the longest hours but that would come as no surprise to teachers themselves. Christine spoke about the materials and statement the Union was publishing in the run up to the General Election. The GS welcomed the NAS?UWT now joining the campaign against the Licence To Teach proposals. The GS agreed to send a message of support to Unite in their current dispute.


JOINT SATS CAMPAIGN
The GS provided a summary on the joint NUT/NAHT SATs Boycott Ballot. Each regional office will be responsible for dealing with enquiries regarding the issue of any further ballot forms. The GS agreed to send a message of support to  to UNITE in their current dispute.
Various members asked questions relating to the SATS Ballot and the way in which we were supporting our Leadership members whilst encouraging those members in primary school  not being balloted to support their colleagues. The GS re-emphasised that the reasons we had not balloted all members was due to the threat of a legal challenge if we balloted those othet than Leadership members who alone have a contractual responsibility to administer the SATs. The Union has pledged to ballot members in any situation where there were proposals to take any form of discilinary action against  members taking part in the action. There will be a special meeting of the NEC on April 21st to discuss the result of the ballot. The NAHTNational Council meets on 20th April.


POLITICAL FUND

It was reported that Political Fund was being well spent with donations to both Searchlight and Hope not Hate campaign and Unite against Fascism.

GTC FEES
The proposal by the GTC to increase the fee payable by teachers was opposed by Max Hyde the NUT Representative on the GTC. The Secretary of State for Education had previously rejected a higher increase requested by the GTC but there will now be a smaller increase to £36.50. Max voted against any increase but was in a minority on the GTC who voted 48 for and 6 against this increase. It was reported that disciplinary referrals to the GTC had increased and  that this was likely to rise further. The suspension of supply teachers was becoming a big problem as previously reported with many facing the prospect of  months suspended without pay when new vetting and barring procedures are introduced by the Independent Safeguarding Authority


Division Secretaries are being encouraged to inform Head Office regarding any developments with Academies in their area particularly in relation to recognition rights and pay and conditions.


ANNUAL CONFERENCE

It was announced that Dave Prentis the Union GS had been invited but was unable to attend Annual Conference in Liverpool but that Mark Serwotka PCS GS would be. There will also be a speaker from the NUS, the incoming President of the UCU and the GS of NAHT had also been invited and had accepted.
A debate regarding the Register of (NEC) Members' Interests took place.
Following a recorded vote it was agreed that the view of the NEC should  in future be that be the NEC did not believe that NEC members should receive personal renumeration in their roles as non executive directors of Teachers' Assurance, The Teachers Building Society or other affinity organisations within the Union family. Along with the majority of the NEC I supported this position.