Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Division of the National Union of Teachers Newsletter
Pay More Work for Longer Get Less Back NUT Cornwall Ordinary General Meeting Saturday 11th December 10am Coffee for 10.30am start County Arms Highertown Truro Nina Franklin This meeting is open to all NUT m e m b e r s i n Cornwall. T h e meeting will be addressed b y National V i c e President N i n a Franklin. There will be plenty of time for discussion and debate.
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Government ministers talk of “Gold plated public pensions” but the truth is that the average teacher’s annual pension is less than £10k with only 5% above £20k. From April 2011, annual inflation related increases in your pension will be linked to CPI rather than RPI. This change alone will cost a teacher retiring on a £10,000 pension more than £35,000 over the course of the average retirement. In 2007 our pension contributions were raised to 6.4% to make our pensions affordable in the long term. Next year will see the government decide on whether to implement Hutton's proposal of a 2‐3% increase in our contribution to our pension. Depending upon your pay scale this could mean between £30‐£70 per month taken from your pay packet. In 2007 the retirement age was raised to 65 for new entrants to the profession. Hutton proposes that this should be increased for ALL of us. Hutton also proposes a change from final salary pensions to career average pensions. Here ‘the Devil is in the detail’; unless we fight to defend our pensions this will be used to reduce the value of our pensions as well. For the detailed NUT analysis of the Hutton report go to: http://www.teachers.org.uk/docs/files/HUTTON‐REPORT‐NUT‐ BRIEFING‐1010_AM.doc
• • • • • • • Cornwall NUT is sustained by volunteers • who take on a specific role or take on • responsibilities on an ad hoc basis as a • • committee member. We are also entitled to • send nine delegates to attend the Easter •
Nominations for the Election of Officers & Conference Delegates 2011
North Cornwall District Secretary East Cornwall District Secretary Treasurer Casework Officer X 2 Assistant Secretary‐ membership Assistant Secretary‐ communication Vice‐President Kernel Newsletter Officer Equal Opportunities Officer Web‐site Officer Health & Safety Adviser 16 Committee Members 9 Delegates to Conference
conference where we represent the 2,500 NUT members in Cornwall and the Islands in Our local rules state that nominations must be in writing (signed by the proposer and seconder and voting on National Policy. Locally, we endorsed by the nominee) and received by the look at these national policies and try Divisional Secretary by the end of 31st December and implement them with a ‘local feel’. 2010: Nominations, from members, are now being Ian Williams invited for the following positions: 107 Henver Road Newquay • Cornwall Division Secretary • •
West Cornwall District Secretary Central Cornwall District Secretary
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If you have finished reading this newsletter pass it on. Leave it in your staff room, department base, on a bus or train seat etc... So that others can read it too.
We need a new banner design —can you help? Can you come up with a good design for the new Cornwall & IOS NUT banner? Maybe you could set your students the challenge or have a go yourself. It must include our name, NUT logo, a suitable slogan and appropriate local symbols or imagery.
School Rep’s are doin’ it for themselves
face the Union has this year been running regionally based courses for our NUT School Representatives to help build up strong school groups all over the country.
Just like in the Eurythmics song we are in times of change. Academies to the left of us, Free The first such course in the South West was run in Schools to the right of us and public sector cuts Plymouth back in March and had over 20 attendees. in front us volley and thunder. However, in the Representatives reported an enjoyable and face of all this the NUT are proud to say that our educational experience but what has happened School Representatives are doin’ it for since? Often it is the way that we hold fantastic themselves. In response to the challenges we now events and then allow enthusiasm to fizzle out.
Through the Organising Academy project the extra only a few days into the term I am already capacity afforded to the Regional Office by a full actioning some of the points I made.” time Organiser has allowed constant contact to be maintained with newly trained Reps throughout the Recently trained School Reps report successfully year. At the end of the course School Reps were raising and resolving matters which have concerned asked to sign up to a school pledge, to take one members for some time, recruiting new colleagues back to school and complete it by the follow up and feeling more confident about how to access event in the Autumn term. Pledges were sealed and help and advice. posted back to reps and the results have been Further training events are planned for next year, impressive. Susan Steel, Devon Division, said for more details go to: “Reading the pledge really made me think and after
Ask not what your JFK had it right. As members of a Union we have to ask, what can we can do for each other every once in a while. Any member who has ever had an issue at school will know that the NUT provides personal caseworker support. Caseworkers provide an invaluable service to our Union and we are currently on the look out for new volunteers. One of our current Caseworkers in Cornwall will be taking some time out shortly and we need members to help out. This role may appear daunting at first but new Caseworkers will only deal with simple queries as more complex cases are dealt with by Division Officers and Regional staff. Full training and expenses are provided and our current casework team will be available to support you and advise on issues. Casework experience
Introducing the North Cornwall District Secretary—Nicky Gowan My name is Nicky Gowan and I am Head of Languages at Budehaven Community School. If you teach in a school in North Cornwall I am your first point of contact for the NUT. As you can see I am a full‐time teacher so if you get t h e a n s w e r machine when you call, please leave a message with your name, NUT m e m b e r s h i p n u m b e r , c o n t a c t details and a brief outline of the reason that you have called. It is also helpful to say what time it would be convenient to return your call and whether or not you are calling from school.
If you have any questions or would like to send in articles/ information for the next edition of Kernel, please make I have been an active member of the NUT for about 12 contact at: years and I attend Cornwall General Meetings and
nutkernel@gmail.com The Bitter Root Educating scholar
JAMES
the
wayward
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illustrations by Darren Fletcher Penryn College teacher and NUT member James Andrews has just had this excellent, thought provoking and amusing book published. The Bitter Root asks why, after thousands of years of formal education, we fail to understand the full impact of some very basic classroom concepts. Free from acronyms, jargon and flowcharts, it relies for its evidence on history and literature, convincingly arguing that a view from the shoulders of yesterday’s giants reveals far more than many of today’s educational theories. The book is a celebration of the art of teaching, capturing the true mood of the profession behind the fixed grins of the politicos; a confirmation of what teachers think but often don’t dare say. To teachers, parents and past pupils of a certain age, it is a highly amusing dose of common sense.
Committee Meetings on a regular basis. I was also secretary for North Cornwall branch when we had local associations in Cornwall. I have the e‐mail addresses of some school representatives in North Cornwall schools and try to keep them up to date with dates of meetings and any other urgent information that I receive from the NUT. If you are a school rep and you do not currently receive e‐mails from me, please send me information about your school and your e‐mail address and I will add you to my mailing list. I only use the mailing list to inform you of current events so there is no obligation to be more active than you wish! Most telephone calls that I receive are to enquire about pensions and I am able to give some help but I may refer you to an ‘expert’ if I cannot help. Of course, I also receive worried calls from members about an incident that has happened at work. I am able to offer a listening ear and will able to advise about necessary action. The best advice I can offer in a case like this is to write down every detail that you can remember about the incident – and get a witness to do the same if you can. Please contact me by e‐mail or by telephone if you work in the North Cornwall district and need information or advice.
£7.99 from all good bookstores—Recommended! e‐mail: ngowan@tiscali.co.uk