IT IS a real pity that The TES makes only two very brief comments on the debate on professional unity at the Institute of Education on November 10 and that both comments emphasise negative aspects. Your readers do deserve to know that on the whole it was a good-natured and enlightened discussion and the vote at the end showed a two to one majority for the proposition that “the teacher unions should amalgamate into one”.
Professional Unity 2000 - which campaigns to produce one union for all primary and secondary teachers in England and Wales by the year 2000 or as soon as possible after that - welcomed the debate and made a significant contribution to it.
We believe the teaching profession has for too long allowed employers and the Government to exploit its divisions and denigrate its members, ignoring their professionalism and imposing on them intolerable workloads for unacceptable levels of pay.
We recruit individual members, school staff and local associations of whatever union teachers may belong to, and application forms are available from our secretary, Hank Roberts, at Copland Community School, Cecil Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7DX.
Malcolm Horne Honorary president Professional Unity 2000 43 Orchard Grove Chalfont St Peter Bucks
