Rotherham teachers strike again to defend their union rep

Over 30 members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) at Rawmarsh Community School in Rotherham went on strike again on 4-5 May against compulsory redundancies.

The only member of the NUT being forced out is union representative Ralph Dyson, who led nine days of strikes earlier this year to stop 25 jobs being axed.

One NUT member said: "We're not going to abandon Ralph to sink when he held the lifeboats for the rest of us to get in."

The dispute started when new head teacher Dr Stuart Wilson announced that 25 teachers and nine support workers were being made redundant at the end of the spring term due to financial difficulties.

But after solid and determined strike action, the number of enforced redundancies among teachers was reduced to just one.

Some teachers left for other jobs, went part-time, shared jobs or took voluntary redundancy. But the one left, Ralph, is a clear case of victimisation of the union rep.

John Dalton, Rotherham NUT branch secretary said: "Management expected the NUT to call off action but the members voted overwhelmingly to continue action until the number of NUT redundancies is zero."

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