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From The Socialist newspaper, 1 June 2011
Lewisham teachers - Action threat spells victory
Martin Powell-Davies, NUT national executive member, personal capacity
Two small but significant victories for Lewisham NUT, south London, have shown how an organised response - and the threat of union action - can achieve success in fighting the threat of cuts and redundancies.
Just as a ballot for strike action was about to be issued to NUT members at Deptford Green school over the threat to issue a redundancy notice to a member in the art department, the school agreed that it would, after all, be able to redeploy the teacher internally.
Previously, our demands to find continuing work within the school had been rejected.
This came after the news that Lewisham council would be saving the posts threatened to be cut from the nationally-renowned Lewisham Early Years Advice and Resource Network. This follows a public campaign to safeguard this vital resource coupled with an indicative ballot of NUT members across council schools and workplaces which produced an 86% 'yes' vote in support of authority-wide strike action.
There are more battles to come - including continuing threats to children's centres and to oppose the redundancy of an NUT member at another secondary school. Ballot papers are going out to NUT members at Forest Hill school but staff have already shown their support in a 60-strong rally held on a Friday lunchtime.
NUT and PCS members in Lewisham are also balloting for strike action to defend pensions. With the support of Goldsmiths UCU and student union, we are holding a rally on 20 June.
Stop the pensions robbery - all out on 30 June
Public meeting: 20 June, 6.30pm. Goldsmiths College student union, Dixon Road, New Cross.
Speakers include Chris Baugh, PCS assistant general secretary
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In The Socialist 1 June 2011:
Socialist Party news and analysis
Glencore - Profiting from global hunger
New attacks on women's sexual and reproductive rights
Disabled protester - "inadvertently struck with a police baton"
Shoesmith sacking - social work under growing pressure
International socialist news and analysis
Egypt and Tunisia: Revolutions at the crossroads
Greece: unite the struggles and bring down the government
National Shop Stewards Network
Strike - to defend jobs and pensions
Socialist Party NHS campaigning
Government plans for the NHS: Privatisation and world class profits!
"Frontline first" a dangerous tactic - unity is the key
Cardiff NHS protest against Topshop tax dodger
Demonstration against closure of day centre in Llandeilo
Socialist Party workplace news
Southampton - council workers' strike spreads
Saltend construction workers' struggle ends
Lewisham teachers - Action threat spells victory
Newcastle East Coast rail call centre - Save jobs!
Socialist history
18 years since Stephen Lawrence murder
Youth fight for jobs and education
Coventry action against academies grows
Yorkshire meetings make Jarrow plans
Socialist Party feature
Lib Dems - a party rooted in capitalism
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