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English Teaching Unions
Which union should you join?
There are 3 main unions:
NAS/UWT – National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers
NUT – National Union of Teachers
ATL – Association of Teachers and Lecturers
There is also another group that objects to being called a union, PAT – Professional Association of Teachers There are two sets of issues to consider in your decision; national issues and school issues. National issues
Each union has a unique history and perspective on issues relating to teaching and pay. NAS/UWT – This union was formed by the coming together of two the separate unions, NAS and UWT. Its members are predominantly in the secondary sector. The union view on pay is that longer serving and more experienced teachers should be paid more. The union submissions in pay reviews are very concerned with maintaining and improving pay structure, that there should be a definite career pay progression. The NAS/UWT is the only teaching union that issues “Instructions” to its members to take action. Disobeying an “Instruction” can lead to expulsion from the union. The NAS/UWT is seen as the most militant of the main three unions because of the unity of its members in following calls to action by t he union executive. NUT – This union claims to be the largest union, though figures are debatable. Its members come mainly from primary schools, where women far outnumber men. The union view on pay is that a higher starting salary is needed. A gradual increase in pay from a career structure has much less emphasis in the union submissions. The NUT issues “Advice” to members in any dispute with employers, so members may ignore calls to action with impunity. ATL – Historically AMMA, ATL’s predecessor, was strongest in grammar schools. ATL has members in both primary and secondary sectors. Its submissions on pay lie between those of the two unions above. The ATL issues “Advice” to members, so members can ignore calls to action without being disciplined. Historically seen as the most reasonable of the big three unions, though in recent years ATL has sometimes been the first union involved in industrial action over pay and conditions. PAT – This group is not affiliated with the TUC. It is not a union, but a loose affiliation of teachers. PAT is sworn never to take any industrial action and its members usually choose PAT for that reason. The association is very small and without the industrial action option can provide less support than NAS/UWT, NUT and ATL for any individual who is in dispute with his or her employer. School issues
When you take up a new post you should find out who the union representatives for the different unions are. The effectiveness of the union at a school level depends largely on the effectiveness of its local representatives and how well they are trained in industrial relations issues.
The number of teachers in each union is also important, if worse comes to worst and you are ever in need of the support of your teaching colleagues. NAS/UWT, NUT and ATL have all been involved in disputes in support of individual teachers that have led to other members withdrawing their labour.
You should listen and make your own assessment of the support each union would give you in your school situation before deciding which union to join as a paying member.
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