Last few days of NUT ballot

There are just a few days of voting left in the NUT teachers’ union’s ballot for strike action over pay.

Over 250,000 teachers are being balloted for action to reject a below-inflation three year pay deal. The ballot ends on Monday of next week.

Sara Tomlinson from Lambeth NUT told Socialist Worker, “We need to keep building until the ballot closes.

“Even if some teachers are on half term we can still text, phone round and email to maximise the yes vote.”

There is a mood to fight over pay among teachers.

When teachers struck on 24 April alongside other public sector unions, the action pulled in lots of newer and younger teachers.

The militancy of the picket lines and protests showed the anger that exists over pay.

That anger is still there – but there is a worry in some sections of the union that the recession means that teachers are less likely to take action.

It is vital in the final days of the ballot that activists contact as many teachers and union reps as possible to argue for a yes vote.

This would be the worst time to accept attacks on pay and conditions.

As the recession deepens such attacks will become more frequent as the bosses try to make workers pay the price for their crisis.

There is potential to build a united fightback to the attacks on pay, pensions and jobs – not just in one union, but across the working class as a whole.

Now is the time for workers to make it clear that every attack will be resisted.