Redundancies do not only affect school and college staff; they can also reduce the support available to pupils, restrict curriculum opportunities and, in the case of school closure, remove an important community asset.
Therefore, parents and the wider community have a legitimate interest in how decisions are made and whether alternatives have been properly considered. When parents, community groups and unions collectively raise concerns about proposed redundancies, it demonstrates that this is not simply an employment issue and can strengthen a workplace campaign against cuts.
Community campaigning can reinforce, but is not a substitute for, an effective workplace campaign.
Building parent and wider community support
Parents and carers are often concerned about the same issues as staff. They want schools to be properly staffed, pupils to receive the support they need and a broad curriculum offer to be maintained. Where appropriate, reps should consider how parents and the wider community can be kept informed about the potential impact of proposed redundancies on pupils, staffing levels and educational provision.
Employers may seek to present redundancies as unavoidable before parents and the wider community have had an opportunity to consider the proposals. Reps should therefore communicate early and ensure the union’s concerns and alternatives are clearly understood. Adapt campaign messages for different audiences, focusing on the issues that are most relevant to them.
The most effective approach is factual, evidence-based and pupil focused. Community campaigns are strongest when they explain both the impact of proposed redundancies and the alternatives being put forward by the union.
Tactics
Depending on local circumstances, workplace groups may wish to organise public meetings, petitions, joint statements and protests. Public meetings can be particularly effective. They provide an opportunity for the union to explain the employer’s proposals, outline their likely impact on pupils and educational provision, present the union’s alternatives, and answer questions from parents and supporters. They can also help identify new supporters and strengthen community involvement in the campaign.
Parents and community supporters may also choose to raise concerns directly with head teachers, governors, academy trusts, local authorities, councillors or MPs. Co-ordinated lobbying of decision makers can help to ensure proposed cuts are subject to proper scrutiny and increase pressure on employers to consider alternatives to compulsory redundancies.
Community support helps to build pressure on the employer and can also strengthen confidence among members to take industrial action.
Further advice on building a community campaign can be found in Campaigning against redundancies.