EC Meeting Papers March 2018

To:

General Secretary, GFTU

> TEL > 01332 372 337

From:

General Secretary, Voice

> EMAIL > contact@voicetheunion.org.uk > WEB > www.voicetheunion.org.uk

Date:

20 February 2018

Subject:

Application for Affiliation to GFTU

Introducing Voice – the Union for Education Professionals

Voice – the Union for Education Professionals, originally established as the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) in 1970, was founded at a time of considerable upheaval within the education sector. PAT members believed then, as they do now, that the collective and individual interests of teacher trade unionists should never be advanced at the educational expense of the pupils and students in their care, and that their right to continuous, uninterrupted education must not be prejudiced by industrial action. They valued and wished to protect their role as professional educators with responsibility to providing good role models for those in their charge. PAT sought to offer an alternative, professional model of trade unionism, one which promoted members’ interests and defended the cause of education, not least for those communities and individuals (often in the most economically disadvantaged areas) for whom education raised aspirations and opened a route to social mobility and improved life chances. Offering an alternative to militancy, considered radical at a time when dissenters to militancy were outcast, proved challenging for PAT. That other organisations did not share the union’s drive to counterbalance, legitimate trade union interests with the rights of pupils and students, who were not party to any dispute, was challenging. It did not discourage, but rather inspired the founders and founder members to continue with the pursuit. Education as liberation, and as a right to be defended was an informing passion for the union’s early days. The Professional Association of Nursery Nurses (PANN) was founded for similar reasons in 1982. They too were concerned about the damaging impact of industrial action on the very young children in their care and sought to establish a platform to promote the early years and childcare sector and to defend members’ legitimate collective interests. It was the employer and not the child who should be the focus of union challenge. PANN became a section of PAT in 1996. Recognising the need for modernisation, as well as of the changing education and employment landscape in the twenty-first century, PAT refreshed its image in 2006/7. This resulted in its rebranding as Voice in 2008. This brought together all sections of PAT’s membership teachers, lecturers, self-employed tutors, teaching assistants, bursars, finance and administrative officers in addition to a growing membership amongst early education practitioners. Thus bringing together the whole education ‘team’ under the Voice union ‘brand’ whilst recognising the value and role of individual professionals within the wider education sector. Full registration, as an independent trade union, was achieved by PAT in 1976, following provisional registration in 1972.