We believe that every job in a school or college is essential to the delivery of high-quality education and student well-being. We will always support members to take collective action to defend jobs.
Redundancy is a whole-school issue
We reject the notion that a restructure only affects those whose posts are at risk. Redundancy is a collective issue that harms the entire school community:
Unmanageable Workload: When staff are removed, the remaining employees are often left to absorb their duties, resulting in increased workload.
Loss of specialist skills and support: The loss of specialised teachers and support staff narrows the curriculum and reduces the vital individual support available to students, particularly those with SEND.
A culture of insecurity: Threats to job security damage morale across the whole school, contributing to staff turnover and denying students a stable learning environment.
The need to act quickly
When redundancy or restructuring is threatened it is vital that NEU reps and members move quickly to organise resistance. Waiting until the outcome of the collective consultation is known will severely limit our ability to influence the outcome.
Once redundancy notices have been served members are more likely to feel the outcome is determined and our chances to take effective industrial action to influence the outcome will be severely limited.
If your school is proposing redundancies or restructure contact your NEU branch immediately.