NATFHE Conference – Domestic and International Issues

Over the weekend of May 28th to 30th the National Association of teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) held its annual conference in Eastbourne. Domestic issues dominated the agenda as is usual and normal for a trade union conference, but the last session of the conference on Monday morning allowed time for the union to debate and vote on international issues.

On the domestic front the issue of merging with the Association of University Teachers (AUT) occupied a mammoth four and a half hour session on Saturday afternoon. Despite misgivings raised by many delegates on the issue of procedures leading up to the discussion on the merger and the question of democratic accountability in the newly formed union, the majority of the conference favoured moving towards a merger in the hope that issues of democracy can be resolved after the merger takes place. Once merged, the new union of approximately 120,000 members will be the biggest lecturers union in the world and will therefore have more muscle in the Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) sectors to fight for better pay and conditions for its members and increases in funding for post-16 education.

Pensions also played a prominent role with the recent announcements of the government to attack the pension rights of civil servants and teachers. Conference was in favour of a public sector alliance to oppose these plans including the use of strike action. It was pointed out to conference however that attacks on pensions have occurred and are occurring across the industrialised world as profit rates on capital invested falls and the capitalist class internationally pressurises governments to cut the social wage of working people in order that more government funds can be diverted to subsidising a bankrupt capitalist system.

In Britain, for example, the Labour Government wants to cut pension entitlement for civil servants by claiming that pension funds are in deficit. Yet according to the Inland Revenue between £30 and £80 billion in taxes are lost each year through tax avoidance by the rich. In addition the government subsidises “risk taking” in the public sector through PFI where profits of 20% and 30% are guaranteed to capitalist investors at a time when the average rate of return on investment stands at 3%. Furthermore, pension holidays in the 1990s saved companies the sum of £18.75 million with 94% of the savings going to reduce employers’ contributions to the funds and 6% to reduce employees’ contributions.

The scale of public subsidies to the rich and powerful is highlighted by the privatised railways. Under nationalisation the public subsidy to the railways averaged £1bn per year. Under privatisation the subsidy is running at more than £2bn a year and, in addition, £17bn of taxpayers’ money is being spent on capital investment in the sector. The lesson is that under capitalism the state will be forced to use money collected in taxes for the purpose of subsidising the rich to boost their falling profit levels. This is the reason for the attacks on pensions and other areas of social provision. A unified public sector alliance using strike action will temporarily hold the government back, but only as political fight against these plans will hold out the chance of ensuring that social wealth is used for the benefit of those who create wealth, working people through their labour.

Pay was also much to the fore given that only 30% of colleges covering 50% of lecturers had implemented a two-year pay modernisation deal that had been agreed with the employers back in August 2003, almost two year ago! Conference recognised that a “hot autumn” is on the cards with strike action likely over this year’s claim for 7% to achieve parity with school teaching colleagues that was promised by the government for August 2004. In addition further strikes are also planned to get the full implementation nationally of the August 2003 deal.

When salary rises are agreed in the school sectors, the government funds them. When such rises are agreed in the FE sector they have to be funded by internal savings involving a reduction of provision or jobs in some areas in order to try and fund the agreed rises. Given the continual chronic under funding in the sector many colleges are financially unable to pay the rises. The conference recognised that only by an increase in government funding would it be possible to meet the promised rises, yet the government is planning further cuts next year and the year after. What is not realised by many is that the FE sector educates and trains more 16-19 year olds than schools and more students than universities, yet it is the worst- funded sector of the three even getting less funds per student, such as A levels, for doing exactly the same work. The future in the sector looks bleak with a whole series of strikes being planned for the new term in the autumn.

On the international front, the conference passed motions condemning the continuing imprisonment after 21 years of the leaders of Grenada who were overthrown by a US invasion. On Iraq conference called for the immediate withdrawal of occupying forces and condemned the continual plundering of the resources by the occupying armies.

On Venezuela the conference passed a motion unanimously that congratulated the advances made by the Bolivarian Revolution, warned of the dangers posed by the USA and the financial oligarchy in Venezuela, agreed to join with the NUJ in organising a trade union delegation to the country in solidarity with the revolution, and to support a delegation to the World Youth Festival in Caracas in August.

AT the NATFHE Conference in May 2004, delegates had agreed to affiliate to the Hands off Venezuela Campaign and since that time the union has given the campaign some excellent support. The decision this year has reaffirmed the commitment of the union to the campaign. Given the lies and distortions in the capitalist press, delegates were eager to learn more about the events in Venezuela and more than 40 copies of the pamphlet “The ABC of Bolivarianism” were sold over the weekend.