Union leaders demand end to strike-breaking at east London school

School workers and their supporters on the picket line

Eleven trade union leaders have slammed Tradewind UK—which is sending agency workers to undermine a strike at an east London school.

They have issued a letter in solidarity with NEU union members at the Connaught School for Girls, who began over two weeks of strikes against cuts on 21 April.

Signatories include Unite leader Sharon Grahan, PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote and Henry Chago Lopez of the IWGB.

The Strike Map solidarity group, which coordinated the letter, says they’re “facing huge cuts and redundancies”. This includes “redundancy for their rep, who is also the joint branch secretary for Waltham Forest NEU”.

Management began bringing in staff from Tradewind on April 22. As of Wednesday, they were continuing to do so.

Sarah Woolley, general secretary of the Bfawu food workers’ union, said, “We are proud to be supporting our brothers and sisters in the NEU. The use of agency staff to undermine strike action cannot be tolerated.”

FBU firefighters’ union leader Steve Wright made it clear that this is a fight for all trade unionists. “Supporting striking workers is the job of the whole trade union movement,” he said.

“Solidarity is fundamental to what makes our unions powerful.”

Pablo Phillips, joint branch secretary of Waltham Forest NEU, said, “This is not an NEU Waltham Forest issue. This is an issue for the whole movement and that’s why this letter matters.  

Henry Fowler, Strike Map’s co-founder, added, “We’re proud to stand with staff at Connaught School for Girls and to see the movement come together to resist strikebreaking.”

Trade unionists will be paying Tradewind a visit on Thursday morning to demand they stop scabbing (see below).

The strikes are set to continue every day until Friday 8 May. Trade unionists and campaigners should continue to shower the picket lines in solidarity. 

• Protest against Tradewind at 110 High Holborn, WC1V 6JS, at 10am on Thursday. 
• Join the picket lines from 7am, at Dyers Hall Road, London E11.
• You can write to Tradewind to call on them to stop scabbing on the strike here
• Send messages of support to: [email protected]