The dynamic duo who could wield superunion powers

This week teachers began voting in a historic ballot that will allow hundreds of thousands to say “yes” or “no” to the creation of a new education “superunion”.

A “yes” vote will mean the end of the NUT and ATL teaching unions and the formation of a new organisation with nearly half a million members - the National Education Union.

That added clout would help to rein in Ofsted and force the government to listen to teachers’ concerns about workload and qualification reform, its prospective co-leaders have told TES.

United front

But an exclusive first joint interview with Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney went further than just allowing the current respective general secretaries of the ATL and NUT to set out their case for the NEU.

It also provided an opportunity to watch the personal dynamics between the two powerbrokers set to lead what will become a major new force, if members do vote for merger.

Sitting in the ATL’s London HQ, based just off Trafalgar Square, it quickly becomes apparent that both leaders are painstakingly conscientious - unwilling to hog proceedings or to tread on each other’s toes in this diplomatic dance.

‘We will be speaking for a majority of all teachers - the politicians will have to listen’

When TES throws out the first question, Bousted answers and Courtney follows it up. When the second question comes, she insists that the order be reversed so Courtney gets the first bite.

Courtney makes a simple pitch for the NEU. “We will be speaking for a majority of all teachers, and a significant proportion of other education professionals,” he says. “Politicians will have to listen.”

The government’s apparent unwillingness to listen to the unions is a sore point for both of them, as Bousted explains.

“We’ve had over a decade now of governments who have felt that they don’t really need to consult professionals,” she says.

“That’s resulted in really very bad policies just being driven through without proper challenge.”

Battles ahead

The proposed merger seems to have been prompted by soul-searching about the failure of the five main dedicated school staff unions to stop - or at least seriously divert - this policy juggernaut.

“All the education unions, if they really seriously looked at themselves, would say, ‘We’ve done a lot, but we haven’t achieved what we hoped for,’ ” Bousted admits.

So which battles that were lost could have been won if the NEU had been around earlier?

Courtney says that a larger union could potentially have stopped the introduction of performance-related pay: “I think that was a margin call for [the government] to some degree…I think we could have persuaded them on that.”

As for the fights of the future, from the list that Courtney and Bousted rattle off when they are asked for their priorities, it’s clear there will be no shortage of targets to tilt at.

An “unstable” academies system, qualifications reform, workload (their “key agenda”), and the school accountability system are all at the top of the list.

Regarding the latter, Bousted saves particular vehemence when discussing Ofsted - an “under-theorised, under-researched and certainly under-evidenced” agency. It sounds like the NEU will be looking to mark the inspectorate’s homework.

“It is outrageous that an agency that for over 30 years has been giving supposedly valid and reliable judgements on schools has not itself published any research yet into the reliability, never mind the validity, of its own inspections,” Bousted says.

“How has it got away with that? The new union would be asking those questions and producing the research evidence that would demand answers.”

If they get what they want and their members vote for the NEU, Bousted and Courtney will serve as joint general secretaries until 2023, when power will pass to a single leader. Courtney admits that the relationship between them will be “absolutely crucial”.

While they’re conscientious about diplomacy in terms of answering questions, it also becomes clear in the interview that the mechanism of their partnership will be oiled by a generous amount of humour.

“There’s a personal chemistry,” Courtney says, before reconsidering his choice of words. “Is that dangerous? Take those words out!” he laughs.

At times the patter between them almost resembles a comedy double act. Discussing how they will share the load, Courtney jokes: “I’m going to be general secretary on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning…”

“Yeah, jobshare!”

“And neither of us is going to be working the weekend…”

“No, I want that changed, I want Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.”

“Never!”

In terms of the divvying up of responsibilities, Bousted counters suggestions that one will focus on educational policy and the other on industrial strategy. There will be no “split along crude lines,” she says.

If and when they disagree on something, they’ve agreed to “lock ourselves in an office…and agree a line together”.

At least personal ambition shouldn’t be a cause of friction between them: both say they will not run for the role of single general secretary in 2023.

“The union would really be better off at that stage having one person who’s been a member of the new union for five years…elected by the membership of that union,” explains Courtney.

All unions together?

So if the NEU is voted into being, could there yet be a wider consolidation of education unions - the creation of a single, universal union even?

“There could be and there should be,” Courtney replies. “Our door will be open to other organisations.”

Whether other unions will step in is another matter. The pair confirm that there have been no talks with Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, which has traditionally been fiercely protective of its independent identity.

The NEU proposal came in response to the government’s apparent deafness to union advice, but Bousted claims that Justine Greening is an education secretary who is “willing to listen”.

‘Justine Greening is an education secretary who is willing to listen’

“[She’s] stopped some very bad policies going ahead like taking away qualified teacher status [and] there is evidence that the Department for Education is running much better now,” she says.

“Michael Gove let a thousand flowers bloom. Nicky Morgan didn’t rein in his worst excesses. Justine Greening is a different secretary.”

In fact, the two union bosses have already detected a pricking up of ears at the DfE as plans for the NEU have gathered pace.

“From conversations with civil servants and ministers, there’s no doubt in my mind that the prospect of the new union is firmly on their agenda…there is already scenario planning,” Bousted says.

“They are right to prepare like that because it will be a game-changer.”

@whazell