6
June
2013
The Sunday Times of 2nd June 2013 has published details of secret government talks, led by Michael Gove, aimed at axing 230,000 classroom assistants to save money. GMB Trade Union have over 100,000 school support staff members, mostly teaching assistants, and it is imperative that we urgently respond to this threat.
GMB Congress rejects any undermining of the fantastic work done by teaching assistants and will challenge any attempts to reduce their members. Our children's education depends on it. Speaking on behalf of the CEC. The CEC are supporting emergency motion 2 with a statement.
This motion came about following the press article in the Sunday Times based on leaks by the right wing think tank 'reform' and Michael Gove to the effect that government is planning to do away with teaching assistants.
The majority of our 100,000 school support staff are teaching assistants. The motion asks GMB Trade Union to campaign to defend these jobs and our members.
The Tories and their fan club have sought to undermine the work of teaching assistants for the last decade. The evidence though is clear, where school support staff are deployed correctly they play a major positive role in improving educational outcomes.
Classroom support staff are vital to the modern school environment and in meeting the educational and wider needs of today's school children. They are not a “mums army” as Michael Gove so insultingly calls them. They are educations hidden professionals and are a vital integral part of our education system and should be recognised as such.
Congress school support staff are one of the largest occupational groups in our union, and we are growing every week. This attack should give teaching assistants even more reason than ever to join gmb and we need to be clear the best way we can challenge and respond to these scurrilous attacks is to organise, organise organise.
