GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

Voice was founded in 1970 as the Professional Association of Teachers by

two teachers during an era of great industrial unrest and they were greatly

concerned at that time about the effect of the strikes on their pupils and on their

education, so they gathered together a group of teachers who were committed

in principle to seeking resolution through the force of argument rather than the

argument of force. In 1982 a group of likeminded nursery nurses established

the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses, and that is when I came on the

scene, which became a section of PAT in 1995. We recognise and promote

the benefit of trade unions to employees and employers, fostering and

promoting good working relationships and we believe that the core purpose of

unions in a modern society is not only to protect their members and negotiate

improvements in their pay and conditions, but also, especially within education

and childcare, to promote professional standards and engage constructively

with all of our stakeholders, be they employers, and all this for the benefit of

pupils and colleagues within the profession.

As I say, we very much believe in the force of argument over the argument of

force, but while we recognise and reserve our legal right and respect the right

of others to take lawful industrial action, we veer away from it where we

possibly can, but that does not mean to say that we would not take it if it was

the right thing to do, but it would have to be something that was not going to be

injurious to the pupils and the children in our care, so actually it would be

something around the cause of education. But we believe that this position

provides professionals with the opportunity for reasoned discussion,

negotiation and compromise.

Teaching and childcare are great professions and the erosion that they have

endured from external and political sources (a lot from political sources, and I

am sure we are going to hear a bit more about that throughout this next couple

of days) has definitely taken their toll on the position of education and childcare

within society at a time when education is seen as the silver bullet which will

improve social mobility and a multitude of social welfare issues. Public

perception of education and teaching and childcare is actually in the doldrums,

there are no two ways about it. It is, therefore, essential to make the case to

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