Islington NUT press release
30/01/14
Strike action at STEM 6 Academy free school suspended following recognition of the NUT and agreement to “meaningful negotiations”
The NUT and its members at STEM 6 Academy agreed yesterday afternoon to suspend the strike action called for today in the face of the Academy’s earlier refusal to recognise the trade union to which most teaching staff belong and to negotiate improved terms and conditions, which currently amount to what is effectively a zero-hours contract.
NUT members at STEM 6 are determined to take the action necessary to secure their right to be represented by a trade union of their choice. And when they received the following statement from the STEM 6 Principal, John O’Shea, they agreed to suspend today’s action pending negotiations on their terms and conditions:
Just to confirm that we are willing to recognise the NUT and a commitment to enter into meaningful negotiations about the terms and conditions about the contract and to install a local and national representative within the Academy.
We would be willing to sign a formal recognition agreement
Assistant Secretary of Islington NUT, Ken Muller, said:
We are optimistic that discussions due to take place in the coming days will make sufficient progress for us to be able to avoid taking the five days of further strike action called for next week and the week after.
We hope that STEM 6’s welcome decision to recognise the NUT and enter in to meaningful negotiations with us will allow us to establish the sort of constructive relationship with the Academy that we have long had with most other Islington schools.
We also hope that within a reasonable time frame teachers at STEM 6 will be able to move to similar terms and conditions to those enjoyed by their colleagues in other Islington schools.
STEM 6 students have expressed strong support for their teachers and expect them to be treated fairly and with respect by their employers.
We believe that STEM 6 is the first free school to have faced strike action. We look forward to it becoming a model for how other such schools should be establishing acceptable relations with their employees and their trade unions.
