Roe Green Strathcona strike again to save jobs

When talks with Brent's Strategic Director of Children and Families on Tuesday evening failed to win a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, NEU members at Roe Green Strathcona decided to take a sixth day of strike action today.

Jobs are threatened following Brent Council's decision to implement a phased closure of the Strathcona Site.

The NEU is asking for funding to enhance voluntary redundancy, retrain staff and to pay the existing staff who will be deployed at the main site in the expectation they will gradually leave for new jobs.

Public urged to support the Roe Green Strathcona staff on strike today

NEU staff at Roe Green Strathcona School will be on strike today following the failure of attempts to negotiate an arrangement with Brent Council that would avoid compulsory redundancies and facilitate redeployment from the Strathcona site to the main Roe Green Infants site.

Striking staff will be demonstrating outside Brent Civic Centre from 8am to 9am this morning. This will be the sixth strike in a campaign that initially started to stop the closure of Strathcona but following confirmation of the Labour Council's decision has now moved to protecting jobs.

Battles over school closures were last prominent in the 1970s when the number of pupils in schools fell.The strike is significant because it will set a precedent for how closures are handled by local authorities. It is thought that closures are likely in some of Brent's neighbouring boroughs. Falling pupil numbers are likely to be affected by movement out of the UK by some European families in the event of Brexit.

Public urged to come along on October 2nd to support teachers & parents in a further round of the fight to save Roe Green Strathcona School from closure

From Brent National Education Union

Roe Green Strathcona School will be closed for the fourth time due to strike action on Wednesday 2nd October; NEU members are attempting to save their school from closure. Despite giving the go-ahead to several new free schools in the borough, Brent Council wish to close this successful local authority run school.

Jenny Cooper, District Secretary for Brent National Education Union, said:

We commend our brave members and their parent supporters for their fierce, collective campaign to try to defend this successful local authority school; our action will be suspended as soon as the council reassures us the school will be saved.

Eight councillors have opposed the decision to close the school as they believe further scrutiny is needed to look at possible alternative futures for the school.

Teachers, parents and community supporters will protest outside Brent civic centre from 4.30pm Wednesday and following this will attend and speak at the council meeting in a bid to save the school. This is certain to be a contentious meeting with strong feelings expressed.

The special meeting of the Community and Well-being Scrutiny Committee will be held in the Conference Hall at Brent Civic Centre and will begin at 6pm.  The call-in was made by an unusually broad group of Labour councillors: Cllrs Abdi, Afzad, Chan, Gill, Hector, Kennelly, Marquis and Pavey. (Alphabetical order).

The councillors' reasons for calling the Cabinet's closure decision in for further scrutiny are set out in the document below. Click bottom right for full size version.


Full documentation HERE

Requests to speak should be made to bryony.gibbs@brent.gov.uk and will be considered by the Chair of the Committee, Cllr Ketan Sheth. All requests to speak should be received at least 24 hours before the meeting.

Brent Green Party backs striking Strathcona School staff

Peter Murry, Trade Union Liasion Officer for Brent Green Party and the London Federation of Green Parties has issued the following statement about today's strike:

Brent Green Party and London Federation of Green Parties send support and solidarity to the staff of Strathcona School  who will be going on strike today with the support of the NEU to oppose the closure of the school.

This closure which damages the education of students at Strathcona and the communities which it serves, is happening in spite of numerous objections from students' parents and other members of the public. Brent council should be acting to defend local authority education and not diminish it. 

Low paid migrant workers at Park Royal food manufacturer need your support in upcoming strike ballot

The Cumberland Avenue site

Following their rejection of two pay offers from Bakkavor, a major food manufacturer based in  Park Royal, workers are taking part in an indicative ballot for  future industrial action. It is the first time they have been asked to take strike action.

The mainly Gujerati, Sri Lankan and Goan work force, many of whom are women who have worked at the plants for many years, only earn around the minimum wage. 

Bakkovar is a major employer in the area working from three sites, plus a warehouse  and employ almost 4,000 workers. They make houmous and ready meals for the major supermarkets.

In the tradition of the Grunwick strikers this is an important struggle for  migrant and female workers. The workers are unsure of their next steps and will be encouraged to vote for industrial action if  local trade unionists and activists boost their confidence, telling them,  'You can do this!' Please support them if you can.  

Their union, the GMB say:

A fight here would send an important signal to all the 

low-waged migrant workers in London! 

Enough of poverty wages!

Show your support and solidarity at these events:

FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER, 2019 3.15pm - 5.15pm (shift leaves 3.30pm and 5pm)
BAKKAVOR, 40 CUMBERLAND AVENUE, NW10 7RQ

MONDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER, 2019 2.15pm-5pm
BAKKAVOR, 304-306 ELVEDEN PLACE, NW10 7SY 

WEDNESDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER, 2019 4.15pm-5.15pm 
BAKKAVOR 269 ABBEYDALE ROAD, HA0 1T

Staff to strike over Strathcona school closure

From Brent National Education Union

Brent Council Cabinet voted on Monday to move to a Formal Consultation regarding the proposed closure of the Roe Green Strathcona site school. This was despite overwhelming opposition from staff, parents and the community to this during the informal consultation where a massive 463 written responses were received with only 3 in favour and 460 against (99.4%). A petition with 396 signatures opposing the closure was also delivered to the Council but was ignored too.

The Council also received an unprecedented letter from Brent North MP Barry Gardiner where he stated that there were so many flaws in the informal consultation that...

 If council officers had been actively trying to prepare a case for the closure of the school, these are precisely the measures they might have taken.

Brent National Education Union has highlighted the risks to staff jobs if Strathcona is closed – and they have conducted a ballot of their members for action which was overwhelmingly supported.  They are seeking an urgent meeting with Gail Tolley, Strategic Education Director, to try to resolve these concerns. Failing this NEU members will be on strike on 25^th June.

Lesley Gouldbourne, Brent NEU Secretary, said :

It is extraordinary and shameful that Brent is refusing to listen to parents, governors and staff at Strathcona - a school in the top 3% of the country. At the same time as it is preparing to close Strathcona because it says there are not enough pupils, it has given planning permission for ARK Sommerville - a primary Free School in Wembley- to open! You do wonder what is really behind this proposal.

Brent Councillor Jumbo Chan said:

 It is disappointing Brent Council is proposing to close a local school, thus ignoring both staff and parents. The fact that there may also be a new academy being opened compounds this disappointment. Brent Council should reconsider its decision, and seek a new alternative.

Support the #McStrike outside McDonalds, Kilburn High Road, 6pm tonight

In addition to other events happening during the day today there will be a chance for those working today to show solidarity with a demonstration outside McDonalds on Kilburn High Road from 6pm this evening.

Crossed spoons are a symbol of solidarity - bring your own.

Village School strike tomorrow to secure conditions under the MAT

NEU members at The Village School, Kingsbury have voted unanimously to strike tomorrow. Despite various verbal agreements reached last week the teachers are seeking a written trustee agreement and scheme of degation for the Multi Academy Trust (MAT) to ensure the retetention of their pay and  conditions of employment including trade union policy and HR policy.

The NEU says that the strike is going ahead because as yet there is no guarantee on these matters or even a draft proposal in writing that matchs the verbal agreements made.

Cllr Jumbo Chan said:

I would like to offer my complete solidarity and support to the outstanding NEU teachers and support staff at The Village School, who have been forced to take action once again today to safeguard the long-term security of their jobs

Strike planned at Leopold Primary School over bullying allegations

National Education Union (NEU) members at Leopold Primary School in Brent have voted by a clear margin to take strike action over alleged bullying and harassment by the Headteacher. The first strike action is scheduled for 20^th to 22^nd March.

Last Autumn 13 members of staff, the majority NEU member,  submitted formal grievances against the Head. An independent investigator was appointed who submitted his report to the Governing Body and the London Borough of Brent in December. 

 The NEU claim that the complainants have still not been informed of the outcome of the investigation, in clear breach of the Grievance Procedure. Meanwhile they allege that several of those members have been subject to disciplinary allegations, at the instigation of the Headteacher.

The NEU have asked that the Head be suspended on full pay, and have no involvement in any disciplinary procedures until the issues arising from the grievances have been resolved. The NEU say that Brent  Council and the Governing Body have failed to respond.

Phil Pardoe NEU Regional officer said:

This is outrageous. The allegations are very serious. It is completely unacceptable for the Governors and Brent to sit on the report, and refuse to take any action to protect our members. We still hope to find a negotiated solution, but our members have reluctantly decided that they have no option but to take strike action in the face of the unacceptable behaviour of the Head and the seeming indifference of the Governors and Brent. 

Academisation battle: Village School staff strike for another 3 days this week and withdraw goodwill

From the NEU


As staff in the NEU at The Village school in Brent take three more days of strike action this week (20^th, 21^st and 22^nd) they are also withdrawing goodwill. Every non-strike day between now and the 28^th February when the Governors meet to make their decision as to whether to convert to an academy or not, they will only “work your proper hours”. Usually they work many extra hours of non-directed time every week. 

Cllr Jumbo Chan, said “I am very proud that many of my Brent Labour Group colleagues, including the leadership, are supporting the teachers and support staff of The Village School, who are being forced again this week to take action to stop their school being academised. I do hope the governors finally acknowledge this move as unpopular and unnecessary, and to immediately halt the misguided move towards academisation.” 

As part of their action staff will be holding a letter writing session to Governors on Tuesday after the early morning picket on the steps inside the Brent Civic Centre. On Wednesday, they will return to protest and sing songs to highlight their campaign. They have also been trying to organise one to one meetings with Governors over the three strike days. Gail Tolley, Strategic Director for Children and Young People has agreed to meet the strikers on Wednesday. 

Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North has written further to the Head, Kay Charles following the public meeting on 8^th February. In a detailed letter outlining arguments that called into question the depth of the consultation and the one-sided view given, he urged her to, “convey to all Governors ... the absolute opposition that was expressed by parents, teachers, staff, local council representatives and other fellow citizens of the Borough.” 

He concluded warning Governors that taking what would be “an irrevocable decision” would cut the school off from the “democratic accountability of the local authority” an authority that had given The Village school “the extraordinary endowment of £29 million”. He hoped the Governors would “decide to keep the school as part of the Brent family of schools and decide not to become a Multi Academy Trust” rather than rely on a “potentially distant and hostile secretary of state”. 

Martin Powell-Davies, London Regional Secretary NEU, NUT Section said, “It is astonishing that Governors should be considering academisation of this school in the face of overwhelming evidence that the academies system is failing to improve pupil attainment but, instead, is resulting in an expensive, unstable, inefficient and undemocratic mess.”

Doru Athinodoru, Regional Official NEU, ATL Section said, “Public money, Public ownership, public accountability.” 

These comments mirror the conclusions of the very well attended meeting organised by Barry Gardiner on 8^th February. Staff and others are lobbying for the Governors meeting on 28^th February to be open to the public as Barry Gardiner had urged the Chair to do so. There has been some movement on this but the lobbying continues.

After Village School strikers lobby him, Muhammed Butt agrees to write to governors saying Brent Council would like the school to stay with the local authority

Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt hears from The Village School strike supporters

Supporters of The Village School strikers lobbied Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of the Labour brent Council, at a protest inside Brent Vivic Centre this morning. Today was the first day of three days of strikes against academisation this week.

Cllr Butt was asked to write to the school's governors making the case for staying with the local authority in line with Labour Party policy.

The NEU said:

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After an early morning well attended picket at The Village School, Kingsbury, London a large group of NEU teachers and support staff members made their way to the Brent Civic Centre in Wembley. This was their fourth day of strike action against the Governors plans to turn the school into an academy.

Holding banners aloft and singing their specially written songs a flash mob descended on the steps inside the Civic Centre causing consternation. Lyrics included their signature song, “There’s something shady going on”. 

They refused to leave when asked to by security. 

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Labour Leader of the Council was then called to come and address them and he did. What the staff were asking was for him to write to the Governors and point out the benefits of staying with the Local Authority family of schools rather than go down the privatisation route of academisation. Cllr Butt seemed reluctant to do this. 

He then met a group of the protesters in his office and it was agreed that he would write a letter to the Governors stating that, although it is ultimately the Governors' decision what happens, the Labour Council would prefer the school to stay with the Local Authority.

NEU members were very pleased that their protest had brought about a change in Cllr Butt’s stance and look forward to seeing his letter join the mounting opposition to this unnecessary academisation of an outstanding special school. 

Tomorrow NEU members will be meeting Barry Gardiner, MP at the House of Commons in Westminster to ask him to publicly state his clear opposition to the academisation of The Village School.

Village School strike intensifies as NEU complains about Butt's 'hypocrisy'

From the National Education Union in Brent
 

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Teachers and support staff at The Village School in Kingsbury, North West London, are increasing their action to prevent the academisation of their special school. Following their two days of strike action on 16^th and 17^th January members of the NEU* have upped their level of opposition to three days of strikes as management refuses to pause the consultation. 
 

They will be on strike on Tuesday 30^th, Wednesday 31^st and Thursday 1^st. Picket lines outside the school will be in operation each strike day from 7.30 till 9.00.

On Tuesday members and supporters will then take placards and songs to the civic centre for a visible protest from 10.30-11.30.

After Wednesday's picket 35 members will travel to Parliament for a scheduled meeting with Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North. 

At Thursday's picket, members will be joined by Louise Regan, NUT NEU section National President, who is bringing prizes for best contributions to the protest. This will be followed by a big breakfast in the local cafe.

Further, members also voted at a very well attended union meeting on Friday 26^th to strike again on the mornings of February 20th, 21st and 22nd.

Brent Labour Councillor Jumbo Chan said, “I give my full, wholehearted support to the outstanding hardworking and passionate teachers and support staff at The Village School, who work tirelessly every day to nurture the school’s young students and maximise their potential. Like them and many other members of the local Labour Party and trade unions, I strongly oppose the wholly unnecessary, unhelpful and misguided proposed plans to academise such a valuable local asset, and urge others to do the same”.

Members have signed letters of complaint to the Chair of Governors and Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council. In a letter to all staff Muhammed Butt has attacked the staff of The Village and the Union Reps saying that their action is ‘to punish these children’ and of being irresponsible by taking strike action when the truth is staff are seeking to protect it. He recognises the fact that is it the work of the overwhelming majority of staff who oppose academisation who have raised the school to outstanding. Yet he discounts the fact that, as at Copland, if its staff are forced against their will into academisation very large numbers will leave. Thus, as occurred at Copland when it became an ARK academy with experienced and able staff leaving, education will be adversely hit for these very vulnerable children. ARK Elvin is yet again at the bottom of the league for Brent secondary schools, this year well below the others with only 31% A to Cs.

His own constituency Labour Party have unanimously opposed his stance of supporting the move for the school to be turned into an academy. The London Regional Labour Party also oppose academisation. Barry Gardiner, MP opposes the academisation of The Village. Muhammed Butt’s own Union the GMB opposes the move to academisation. The Headteacher and Chair of Governors, shamefully the Brent Council Labour Whip, are arguing that the school has to become a privatised academy despite the huge opposition to this of the staff and increasingly parents. 

Muhammed Butt wrote to all LA schools in December 2015 saying, “The only way to ensure that our schools remain communities, and do not become businesses, is for them to remain under the control of Brent Council. On behalf of Brent Labour’s leadership, I urge you to do all you can to ensure that they do.”

The only clear tangible outcome of academisation has been shown to be vastly increased salaries to those at the top and a wider pay gap between those at the top and the overwhelming number of staff. Muhammed Butt has said that it is his aim to seek to ‘reverse the outsourcing of services’ that Brent has done previously and bring them back in house as a way of providing a better and more economical service which we applaud. But at the same time, in complete contradiction, he is proposing support for the running of yet another Local Authority school to be outsourced. Utter hypocrisy.

A week ago, many members at the school dressed in black symbolising the death of local authority schools. On Friday, they again dressed in black and added red to show their anger. They will continue to wear black on Fridays and the NEU would encourage anyone to join in wearing black too as a show of solidarity. Please send us your photos and we will pass them on to the NEU Reps at The Village

Anti-academisation strike action at The Village Special School escalates as Labour Chair of Governors refuses to half process while alternatives are investigated

Last week's picket line

Staff at The Village  Special School, Kingsbury will strike again on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week over plans, led by Brent Labour whip, Cllr Sandra Kabir, who is the school's Chair of Governors, to academise the school.

Over 100 staff staged another 2 days strike on 16^th and 17^th January and the school was closed to all pupils. The strikers said that they would have called off their strike if Cllr Kabir had agreed to halt the process for just 2 months while alternative models of partnership could be investigated with Brent Council. However the Chair has not agreed to what the strikers called a very reasonable request.

Lesley Gouldbourne (Joint Secretary of the National Education Union) said that Brent Council had expressed its opposition to the academisation of Brent schools and that The Leader of the Council Cllr Butt had said that he wanted The Village “to remain in the family of Brent Schools.” He has agreed to put his view to staff, parents and Governors.

There is a consultation meeting at the school tonight for parents and staff. It is not open to the public. 

Some parents have expressed their opposition to academisation and were on the picket line. They have started a Facebook group HERE .

The National Education Union National President Louise Regan attended last week's picket  and said that the fight against academies was a national priority for the National Education Union. 

Kevin Courtney, the national NEU Joint Secretary, also attended and said that in academies local accountability vanishes. Governing Bodies are replaced with Trustees with no staff, parent or local council representation. “Public voices are silenced and private voices get louder” he said.

Cllr Kabir has circulated her Labour colleagues with the arguments for academisation in the face of opposition from both Brent Central and Brent North Constituency Labour Parties and national Labour Party opposition to academisation.

Please make your views known regarding the Governing Body's proposal on academisation (Consultation closes February 9th) by filling in the questionaire HERE or emailing matconsultation@tvs.brent.sch.uk

NOTE: Green Party policy opposes academisation and free schools seeing them as a form of privatisation that removes democratic accountability of schools, worsens staff conditions of service, and enables schools to employ unqualified teachers. Greens favour the integration of academies and free schools into the local authority system with improved accountability and financing.

Lobby of Brent Labour Group on The Village School academisation plans on Monday

The Brent Labour Group  of councillors meets on Monday and will be lobbied by opponents of the academisation of The Village School. Brent Constituency Labour Party recently passed a motion opposing the academisation and the Brent Labour Party Trade Union Liaison Officers wrote to Labour councillors calling on them to publicly oppose the privatisation of the special school in which Brent Council has heavily invested. The school building and grounds, currently the property of Brent Council, would be handed over to an academy trust and the school would no longer operate under the over-sight of the Council. Parents with complaints would no longer ne able to have them taken up by the Council.

The Group  meeting begins at 7pm and members will be lobbied from 6pm in the Civic Centre antrium. Althugh councillors have no direct control over whether a school governing body decides to academise it is hoped that a strong stance from them could help bring about negotiations that would avert strikes planned for January16th and 17th.

Anti-academisation strike to go ahead at The Village School after negotiations fail

The  £19m Village School building could be handed over to a MAT

Staff at The Village School in Kingsbury, Brent will take strike action against the proposal to turn the school into an academy, part of a Multi Academy Trust (MAT). 

The strike will be going ahead at this special school on Thursday December 14^th because negotiations so far have failed to change the situation and the governors will not meet again until January. There will be a picket and rally from 7:30am to 9:30am.

An NEU spokesperson said:

In September there were 32 NEU members. Now there are 125. Staff are joining every day because they say they want to strike against the school becoming an academy with the consequences to their terms and conditions and the negative impact on the teaching and learning of the pupils.

The strike has been backed by the Green Party. Pete Murry said:

As Green Party Trade Union Liaison Officer for Brent and for the London Federation of Green Parties, I wish to send support to the teachers at The Village School in Kingsbury who have voted to take strike action against the proposal to turn the school into an academy. If this retrograde step takes place it means the loss of a substantial educational asset for the people of Brent which large amounts of council resources have been paid to develop.

I would like to second the question of NEU (National Education Union) reps who ask why Brent Council is not opposing this proposed academisation, in spite of the reported opposition of Brent Central Constituency Labour party which the council purports to represent on behalf of the communities of Brent.

Grunwick40 unveil extraordinary murals marking the historic Grunwick strike

Two Grunwick40 murals were unveiled today. The first (above) outside Dollis Hill Station where the Grunwick factory gates were situated in Chapter Road, the second on the bridge on Dudden Hill Lane (below) where the mass picket in support of the Grunwick strikers took place.

The work of the Grunwick40 group and artist Anna Ferrie add something extraordinary to the streetscape of Willesden marking a historic struggle of women, Asians and the trade union movement.

How to support the McDonald's strikers #McStrike

 McDonald’s workers balloted at Crayford (south east London) and Cambridge stores have voted by an incredible 95.7 percent for strikes, and their BFAWU bakers’ union has now named Monday 4 September as the first strike day. 
 
A strike committee of workers met and decided to go for the date for their historic action–the first ever strike at McDonald’s in the UK.

The workers taking this bold step need the URGENT solidarity of the wider trade union movement. Please give generously now to their strike fund HERE

Please also rush messages of support, encouragement and solidarity for the workers to fastfoodrights@mail.com 

Already, just by voting to strike and organising in the union, the workers have gained an impressive shift from McDonald’s–who have stated only now after the strike vote that by the end of 2017 they will implement the twice promised offer of a guaranteed hours contract to every UK McDonald’s worker. The workers and BFAWU rightly want this signed off, but it is a major victory for the some 80,000 workers at McDonald’s and shows what getting organised, joining a union and taking action can do.

The strike remains on, over a number of grievances at the two workplaces, and the workers are also fighting for £10 an hour minimum wage now, union recognition, and for the demand on scrapping zero hours contracts to be implemented.

What’s happening and how you can support?

Pass this #McStrike MODEL MOTION to back the strike

Give urgently and generously to the #McStrike Fund

On the Saturday before the strike, 2 September, BFAWU is holding a protest at McDonald’s HQ in East Finchley, north London. We are calling on solidarity from the wider movement on this day, with banners, collections etc, brought along in support. Join and share the Facebook page for the protest HERE.

On the day of the strike, Monday 4 September, workers at the Cambridge site will picket from 6 – 7am, while workers at the Crayford site will picket from 6 – 7.30am.

The strikers and their supporters will then come together outside parliament at 10.30/11am for a rally, speakers include Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell. Stay posted for details of what will be happening after the rally. We are asking for maximum support possible with banners and supporters gathering at the rally, and for local activists and anyone who can to show their support at picket lines where possible too.


#McStrike #McSolidarity protests on 4 September:

LONDON
McDonald’s @ King’s Cross / Pentonville Road
At lunchtime, 12PM-2PM, there will be a McStrike solidarity demonstration with friends and comrades from different unions and community campaigns across Central London. It will be outside the McDonald’s in King’s Cross (302-304 Pentonville Road, Kings Cross N1 9XD). Come along to show some solidarity, to inform workers, customers and passers-bys about the strike. Together we can make this strike powerful in our communities too, and let McDonald’s workers know there is a strong movement with them! Join the Facebook page for the event HERE

Strike at Ark Elvin Academy, Wembley, tomorrow

PICKET LINE - Thursday 16 March at Ark Elvin Academy, Cecil Avenue,Wembley, HA9 7DU.
7am onwards.

NUT, ATL and NAS/UWT members at Ark Elvin Academy will stage their  first day of strike action tomorrow against ten proposed redundancies -part of the fightback against government education cuts.

All those who are sympathetic to the strike are welcome to join the picket line.

Ark Elvin was formerly Copland High School and was forced to become an academy despite opposition from staff, parents and students.

CNWL lecturers threaten action to achieve an independent investigation into college fraud

University and College Union (UCU) members at the College of North West London are calling on the college's Governing Body to put into abeyance public consultation on the possible merger with Westminster College, pending an independent inquiry into a fraud carried out at the college by a subcontractor and the publication of its findings. LINK

The union has given notice that if guarantees are not forthcoming by Thursday March 2nd they will seek Regional Office support for the declaration of a trade dispute with the college.  The branch express the hope that if a trade dispute is declared that it could be resolved through negotiations without having to resort to lawful indistrial action.

Backing the unanimous decision of his branch members for an independent inquiry, Indro Sen, suspended Branch Secretary, said.

When students are 10 minutes late, managers instruct the class teachers to monitor their attendance. When teachers do not dot the "t) and "i" in their marked work, they are monitored by their managers and some end up under capability procedures, but when a fraud as large as £356K can take place under the very nose of SFA auditors, borough police chief, Governors and senior management teams, who monitors their performance?

Only an independent public enquiry can get to the bottom of this. Can any students' life chances be said to be in safe hands unless each and every sub-contractor is thoroughly checked out on the Government declared Sub contractor list and those checks are made public for students to see what they are getting into. Until such time, Mr. Boles should consider putting the levy scheme into abeyance.

Sen, a popular maths teacher awaits a decision of the dismissal panel into his fate. Two of his students had this to say about him and are  attending the Public meeting on Friday 24 February 2017 at Willesden Library at 6pm. Speakers include Hank Roberts the Copland High School whistleblower:

Hello Sen,

I am sorry to hear that you have suspended for helping others. You are great teacher and we are with you on this difficult moment. I will be coming to the meeting on Friday and also my colleagues are coming as well. I will see there .
With kind regards
FH

Hi Sen,

You probably dont remember me, your classes were always so rammed with students! But I certainly remember you and your teaching style, you helped me make sense of so many concepts that surpassed my understanding in school. I was in your weekly evening adult maths classes almost 4 years ago, you gave me a chance to retake my maths GCSE when most other collages turned me away. I passed because of your teaching. And due to that; I'm now a specials needs teacher in Harrow. I love what I do, and I'm eternally grateful to those that helped me get here - you being one of them.

I'll be there to support you on Friday, I stand by what your doing and respect the fact that you refuse to back down. It must feel like it'd be so easy to give up the fight - but don't. The world needs teachers like you.

My thoughts are with you

NN

I can reveal that the sub contractor concerned. Keyrail,  also had contracts with Focus Training and Development of over £100K  but my enquiries came to dead end when it turned out they had gone into voluntary liquidation on November 29th 2016.  It appears that there is no way to find out if a similar fraud was perpetrated on them. This puts the spotlight on the SFA, who holds all records, and could investigate any potential fraud.

Call for public inquiry as 78 CNWL students lose out to fraud

The UCU branch at the College of North West London (CNWL) is calling for all merger negotiations with the College of Westminster (CoW) to be called off pending a Public Inquiry by the College Corporation into a fraud by college subcontractors.

Click to enlarge

The college accounts give a sum of £139,000 lost in the fraud but staff calculate that the total could be at least £256,000 and at most £356,000 over two years.

A branch member said:

The 78 students who fell victim to this fraud should be offered compensation as well as provision being put in place that is twice as good as before, so that they can fulfil their once held aspiration to further their life chances. Any public enquiry should place them at its heart, some of them have probably been forced to seek employment instead. The majority of them are from the diverse community we serve.

The union has posed some key questions over whether steps have been taken to recover the lost monies under its fraud policy and how the college audit committee's monitoring as well as that of the Skills Funding Agency and Ofsted failed to uncover the  fraud.

Indro Sen, the CNWL Branch Secretary, is currently suspended from teaching, but is continuing to represent members.

I may be sacked but not silenced. I will keep defending our members in which ever forum they choose to fight and continue to be true to our students and believe the best judge of me remains the trade union movement and my students.

A public meeting will take place on Wednesday 24 February from 6pm to 8pm at Willesden Library,.  The meeting will  focus on trade union victimisation, the merger of the CoW  and CNWL as well as the UCU branch's ongoing fraud investigation.

CNWL UCU members took half day strike action on the 19 January between 8am to 2pm following a 95% yes vote on an ERS ballot for industrial action on a turnout of about 60% ballot return, the dispute dispute being suspension and dismissal threat against the Branch Secretary.

Members also took 1/2 day's strike action on the same day between 2pm to 9pm following a 90% yes vote on a concurrent but separate ERS ballot for industrial action on a turnout of about 54% ballot return, the dispute being compulsory redundancy a member whose internal appeal against compulsory redundancy was heard on the 17 January 2017 and who was represented  by Indro Sen her at her hearing.

Both ballots remain live.