Binmen kick up a stink in support of suspended Batley teacher

From the Telegraph

When a teacher was suspended from his school after showing a picture of the Prophet Mohammed in class, he reportedly felt as though he had been “thrown under a bus”. The National Education Union (NEU), was accused of failing to stand up for its own member after it did not immediately condemn the threats of violence and intimidation he faced in the wake of the row.

But now, the Batley Grammar School religious studies teacher has found unlikely support from a Bury branch of Unite, which largely represents binmen.

Brian Bamford, secretary of Tameside Trade Union Council, has submitted an emergency motion for the National Conference of Trade Union Councils in June to champion the cause of the suspended teacher.

The motion urges the NEU and all other unions to support the teacher and to publicly condemn those demanding his dismissal.

Mr Bamford is also secretary of Bury Unite commercial branch in the North West, which represents binmen across the borough, and the motion’s wording had to be approved by the branch committee before being passed up to the Tameside TUC which it is affiliated to.

“This is a motion which has come in from bin men, from ordinary working people,” said Mr Bamford, a retired electrician who has been active in the trade union movement since the 1970s. US readers, I believe you call the job trashman or garbageman. Hard, dirty, physical work from what I have observed, and men I have known. 

“As far as I can see, staying silent goes contrary to what we believe in at our branch, and especially in the trade congress. We are affiliated to the Orwell Society and freedom of expression is very important. I don’t feel guilty in any way for taking a stand on this issue.”

Mr Bamford claimed that an NEU official attempted to pressurise him into withdrawing the motion on the basis that it was “unhelpful” to draw further attention to the issue. He said he was phoned by the official who asked him to “reconsider” the motion since it “risks inflaming what is an extremely sensitive and very complex situation” for members. Mr Bamford was told that the NEU has an obligation to the “wider community in Batley” and that any further attention on the matter would “set back quite sensitive negotiations”.

But he said he has no intention of abandoning the motion, adding that the school curriculum should not be “dictated by an indignant mob . . . We are outraged that the teachers involved are being challenged for trying to broaden their students’ horizons and encourage their critical thought. We don’t believe that the determination of the use of teaching resources in a school should be influenced by people taking offence, and using intimidation and threats.”

An NEU spokesperson said: “It is a sensitive issue and the NEU did ask for the motion to be withdrawn. With every viewpoint that is expressed our members face yet more public exposure.” They added that “speculation is unhelpful, not least for our members who the NEU are fully supporting throughout this investigation and will be doing so beyond the investigation”. 

The forthcoming Batley and Spen by-election (no date set, but probably early July) is going to be interesting. The Conservatives have already chosen a serving councillor from Leeds, not too far away (the nearest big city if you don’t know Yorkshire). Labour may only intend to present their local members (all other potential candidates so far have declared they have no interest in standing, which I don’t believe) with a shortlist of one person. She is Kim Leadbeater, who only joined the Labour party last week (there used to be regulations about how long membership was required before standing for an election, any election) but she is the sister of Jo Cox, the Remain campaigning MP for Batley and Spen who was murdered the day before the Brexit vote. Batey voted strongly in favour of leave. While they grieved her death, a wicked crime, up to that point she had angered her constituents by not listening to their opinions on Brexit. Her husband lost the ‘sympathy vote’ by being revealed as a sex pest who had to leave his charity jobs for misconduct; Miss Leadbeater is thus the friendly face of the Jo Cox, More in Common, Foundation.  You can just see how the Labour Party want/need certain demographic votes.