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Everyone's' place is in their Union.


A Nursery teacher, a Maths teacher, an English teacher and a Physics teacher walk into a
pub…

Sorry it’s not a joke, although often hilarity ensues and inevitably someone falls over. These are
my union colleagues, my support network and my friends.

Most teachers are in a union. If you are reading this and you are not- stop reading and go join
one immediately and then come back and read the rest. I have been in the NUT since 2003
when I started my training. I’ve used the union benefits to get cheap home insurance and
discounted vouchers but other than that my union membership was always an insurance
policy just in case something terrible happened a work. I did join the call to strike way back in
2008 but other than that I was not an active union member.

This changed about 2 years ago when a Young Teacher Officer got in touch to suggest I
became the rep in my school. It sounded interesting and I decided to meet up with her at a
division committee meeting. This meeting has to be one of the most dull meetings I have ever
attended. I didn’t really understand what was going on and I left with my head spinning. With
gentle encouragement I decided to attend the next meeting and slowly began to understand
what was going on.

Gradually we encouraged more people into the meeting and slowly built our division up to a full
team of working teachers. We set up a Whatsapp group and started attending regional meetings
and conferences.

Fast forward to now- I have just returned from my second annual conference where I was even
brave enough to speak in support of a motion written by the Nursery teacher. This month I will
be speaking at the Northern TUC Conference to move a motion that I wrote in the pub just
before Christmas. My support network has grown and I find myself surrounded by the most
inspiring people I have ever met.

People who not only want change but people who are willing to stand up and fight for that
change. To speak out for oppressed groups and stand up for education and children.
We've got lots of work to do as we continue to merge with ATL to form the NEU. As the final
NUT conference it was the end of an era in many ways but it is the beginning of something
wonderful. More members to meet and more activists to form friendships with.

The more we work together the more we can do. Reports from the BBC last week suggest that
the union had a massive influence over the results of the General Election last year and this is
just the beginning. We are ready to boycott Baseline Assessment, do all we can to disrupt
SATS, continue to campaign for fully funded schools and ask for an end to the cap on pay and
the unmanageable workload that is driving young teachers out of the profession.

There’s lots to do and a it’s hard work sometimes and it can be stressful but with the right
people around you you’re never on your own. The union colleagues have become friends. They
are a crazy, eclectic bunch and I would probably have never met them if I hadn’t become an
activist.

So join a union, get active in the union because everyones’ place is in their union!

Louise is an early years teacher from the north.

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