THE education secretary, Charles Clarke, chose the conference of the second largest teachers' union, the NASUWT, to launch a tirade against anyone who dares to oppose him. He attacked the larger National Union of Teachers (NUT) and its leader Doug McAvoy for refusing to agree to a plan to "remodel" the job of teaching. The leaders of the NASUWT signed up to the agreement in January.
ALMOST HALF a million health workers are starting a vote on the government's Agenda for Change proposals. Members in the Amicus union started voting this week, and the much larger group of workers in Unison will vote from next Thursday. Agenda for Change is a serious attack on every health worker. Many health workers will be paid as little as £10,100 a year for a full time job.
THE BRITISH National Party (BNP) is a danger to everyone living in Britain. It was standing a record 220 candidates in Thursday's election, and hoped it could make a breakthrough. The BNP tried to feed off the widespread insecurity and disillusion with mainstream parties.
TEACHERS STOOD up this week to the way the government's constant testing is destroying children's education and health. The largest teachers' union, the NUT, moved to boycott the national SATs tests for seven, 11 and 14 year olds at its conference in Harrogate. They are absolutely right. The SATs were introduced by the Tories in 1992.
SCRAPPING THE SATs tests would benefit, not harm, children's education. That's the clear evidence from Wales, where the Assembly has scrapped the tests for seven year olds. Over the last year inspectors, head teachers and various forms of assessment all point to rising standards in Welsh schools.
BLACK PEOPLE are 27 times more likely to be stopped by police than white people. That's the findings of new research into how the police use the powers they got under the 1994 Criminal Justice Act. The act was aimed at tackling football hooligans or illegal ravers.
OVER 3,000 guards on 12 train operating companies struck on Thursday of last week in the third day of action over safety called by the RMT union. The strike was again solid and highly effective, despite coordinated attempts by train companies, including those not involved in the strike, to use managers to scab.
JOURNALISTS IN the NUJ union are stepping up their fight against the US-owned Gannett newspaper publisher, which owns Newsquest. They are striking for better pay. Bradford Newsquest strikers went back onto the picket line from Wednesday of last week.
ACTIVISTS IN the Fire Brigades Union are finding deep opposition in stations and control rooms to their national leaders' attempts to push through support for a proposed settlement to the dispute.
LOW PAID health workers at Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Goole hospitals took to the picket line in force again on Wednesday of last week. The 400 porters, domestics, laundry and catering workers in North Lincolnshire are the latest group of health workers to take on the low pay, bullying and exploitation of their private contractor bosses.
