Teachers leaders. not content with intro ducing the new Star Chamber disciplinary procedures into ine atonar Union or Teachers in April, are now attempting to gag any opposition within the union by introducing their own version of the TUC's Rule 14 A letter from General Secretary Fred Jarvis dated 23 June 1976 declares: "The executive nas decided to recommend that where Local Association Officers consider it necessary, after consulting Hamilton House, that a motion submitted for the consideration of an Association meeting is out of order they shal not include it in the agenda of that This recommendation has already led the officers of one Birmingham association to rule out of order any discussion on the union's class size policy of 1969 If the NUT leadership instructed its members to refuse to teach classes over 30 then jobs could be found for 58,000 teachers-nearly twice the anticipated number of unemploved But the right-wing Labourites of the NUT leadership are only authorising acron arams backware councus mainly dominated by the Tories. However, the so-caned progressive Labour controlled authorities are also responsible for teacher unemployment. The Labour-controlled Inner London Education Authority, for example is reducing its primary school teaching force by 538 this summer. At the same time there are over 600 primary classes with more than 35 children in them. and another 200 ove 30 all in the ILEA.
But Jarvis is more concerned with attacking teacher militants-than those res ponsible for the cuts. He will not go unchallenged, however. Many teacher militants, including supporters of the Socialist Teachers Conference, are calling for an open conference in the autumn to thrash our a plan or action waich can tay te basis for a real campaign to defend and extend the education system in the inter ests of the working class.