All Out to Defend Adrian Swain
Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) at St Paul’s Way Community School in the East London borough of Tower Hamlets have given a substantial boost to the campaign to win the reinstatement of their victimsed NUT rep, Adrian Swain. In an indicative ballot, conducted by post, 81% of NUT members said ‘yes’ to discontinuous strike action on a turnout of 88%.
A member of the school’s entirely unaccountable Interim Executive Board summarily dismissed Adrian on Thursday 18 December for his continued defiance of an imposed dress code that barred the wearing of trainers, Adrian’s customary footwear throughout his 17-year career at the school.
Management at the school should be notified later today (Tuesday 27 January) of the decision to move with immediate effect to an official strike ballot. A motion in Adrian’s support gained unanimous support at the Monday evening meeting of the local NUT association, ELTA. Despite this and the outcome of the indicative ballot, ELTA secretary, Alex Kenny, spoke only of the outcome of a consultation exercise on the dress code and Adrian’s willingness to abide by its outcome rather than making an unequivocal call for Adrian’s reinstatement.
Following a 40-strong protest on 16 January, a further demonstration is planned by NUT members for Monday evening 09 February outside a full meeting of Tower Hamlets Council, the education authority ultimately responsible for St Paul’s Way, to escalate the demand for Adrian’s return to his rightful place at the school.
Below is a briefing originally written for the ‘Weekly Worker’.
Adrian Swain, a supporter of Permanent Revolution and NUT rep for St Paul’s school in Tower Hamlets, was sacked before Christmas, after daring to defy a dress code imposed without consultation by a temporary head teacher. Adrian, a popular and experienced maths teacher, committed only one crime: wearing trainers. In the immediate aftermath of his dismissal, Adrian’s case received huge publicity, appearing in the East London Advertiser and Evening Standard, before being taken up by the Guardian, the Telegraph and even the Daily Mail. His dismissal clearly tapped into overwhelming public feeling that education is suffering at the hands of bureaucratisation and a government that cares more about targets than teaching.
Even George Galloway MP came out in support of Adrian, declaring ‘of all the difficulties facing children in Tower Hamlets – poverty, overcrowding, lack of resources, and an education system geared to testing not teaching – it is truly astonishing that a well liked and experienced teacher has been sacked for what he was wearing on his feet.’ But then, we have to be very clear that Adrian was not singled out by the management for wearing trainers; he was singled out as a fierce NUT rep and a communist militant. The NUT group at St Paul’s Way is reputedly one of the best organised NUT groups in London. Its members have a record of thwarting management attacks and even took strike action against the Iraq War. Adrian’s decades of experience as a fighter in the labour movement had made him a target.
The failure to prevent his sacking in large measure stems from the repeated failure of the East London Teachers Association leadership to take a decisive stand against St Paul’s Way management and in support of Adrian. This is in sharp contrast to the stance of the neighbouring Hackney Teachers Association, which has managed to stymie efforts to take action against another maths teacher at Haggerston Girls School for having the temerity to wear an eyebrow stud. Partly, however, responsibility also lies with the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Teachers Alliance. Not recognising the attack on Adrian as an attack on trade union activity, they spoke out against backing Adrian against the management and smashed the attempt to forge a united campaign against his victimisation.
Of course, the campaign to have Adrian reinstated will not be won without industrial action and in recent days, Adrian has received news that the NUT Action Committee has agreed to ballot for discontinuous strike action. This is a positive step forward for Adrian and all those who wish to fight management attacks on trade union activity.
From Infantile and Disorderly
I have been a trade union representative for many years and have fought for the rights of my members across the trade union movement on many issues ranging from teacher capability, against intransigent and brutal management regimes; I have also been involved in industrial action and have campaigned actively for the rights of trades unionists. The decision to dismiss Adrian Swain whilst deeply regrettable was the absolutely the correct decision for the management to make. The school needs to be allowed to move on now without the baggage from the past hanging over it.
Why was it the correct decision? He was a great teacher who was dismissed for wearing trainers, which was just a cover to attack the union and the work Adrian has done in organising staff. You may have been a union representative for many years but if you can’t back someone who lost their job against the management then I wouldn’t want you representing me or anyone else.
…And I thought trade unionists were supposed to side with the workers against the bosses…
As I said it was regrettable I don’t know Mr Swain, I am sure he is a good teacher. When this case gets to employment tribunal and the GTC the employer will keep on emphasising why he should he be allowed to wear something like trainers which his pupils are not allowed to wear and the example that sets. I also understand his school is in danger of being placed on special measures if it is not already. There are far more relevant issues such as the incidents of violence in classrooms, attacks on our rights as teachers, the constant battle we face against ever increasing initiatives which mean we are chasing targets not teaching pupils and our pensions. These are the things worth fighting for!
I agree with your views Mr T, I also salute the management for the courage they have shown in making this difficult decision! There is no place in education for this sort of Trotskyite militancy. Let’s hope the management stand firm and fight off any claim for reinstatement or compensation!. In this liberal wishy washy environment I bet he is going to get a big payout and a full written apology, all the poor down trodden management have tried to do is enforce some basic standards and serve the children of the school. I wish them all the best
Wearing trainers = Trotskyite militancy?
Its always a good sign when the reactionaries start to pay attention to you though.
Well I would not quite that far Trotskyite militancy my point remains the other important issues in education that are worth fighting for. This man made a choice about his attire and that contradicted stated school policy. I am surprised no other correspondants to this site are prepared to debate those issues.
Let’s not pussy foot around this man is a thoroughly dangerous individual who actively campaigned and encouraged school children to go on strike in protest against the righteous war in Iraq. We were right to intervene then Saddam was a cruel dictator who gassed and killed his own people and yet this man instead of being in his classroom teaching his pupils which he is paid to do indoctrinated pupils to rebel against authority and go on strike. If this is not Trotskyite militancy then I don’t know what is. The man is bad news and had to go!
Mr T, How do you expect to fight for “other important issues” when you are happy to allow management to remove staff for trade union work? Which is the reason he was removed, not because of the trainers.
Big Bev, Is he more dangerous than the army recruitment officers that prey on young school children? As far as I know being taught by a Trotskyist is far less dangerous than joining the army. Adrian, is one of the best teachers in the school, a failing school I may add.
Furthermore as far as I know PE/Maths Teacher who wears trainers is not uncommon, and it was not even part of the dress code. It is an out and out attack on the trade union organisation of the staff so that they will be less likely to fight back against a bullying management.
Big Bev,
I am not sure what happened to you to make such poisonous comments. Let us hope it does not rub off on your pupils.
How the hell does a teacher taking a clear moral stance against the perpetration of state-organised mass murder render him or her a “thoroughly dangerous person”?
And who are “we”? Do you mean the mythical Brits – aristocracy and farmer, stock speculator and teacher united “as one” under the blood-drenched flag of colonial oppression and subjugation? I presume you do not teach history. Or anything having even the most tenuous relationship to the present either.
Saddam was a cruel dictator. Quite right. Communists support workers, women and students fighting for democracy against all tyrants – big and small. We have a sense of duty towards and solidarity with our class. You do not.
But who put Saddam into power and sold him all the lovely weapons he used to put down any secular opposition? Hint – it is the same sort of people who sent in the army on striking Welsh miners, unleashed terror on striking miners in the 1980s, who consciously starved, bombed and murdered millions of people.
If you use the collective pronoun “we” and identify yourself with all that then all the best to you. But try and give your schoolkids a bit more of a grounding in historical reality and truth in the hope that they will become rounded individuals able to take their place in society and become active agents to change it. I thought this was precisely the meaning of education (Bildung – I forget the Greek term from ancient philosophy).
Personally speaking my politics teacher (who sadly passed away last year) also encouraged us to hold meetings and debates in assembly on the question of Iraq and Afghanistan. He encouraged us to seek the truth and to fight for it.
I will be eternally grateful to him for that, and if Adrian has done the same in his classes then good on him.
If you think he is the problem, and not the bosses and their state, then you are very mistaken.
Ben Klein
Ben
I really have nothing against him being a Trotskyite. You have also invited comments to this forum which means you will also get ones which you don’t agree with. Your references to Greek terms from ancient philosophy must be the benefits from your classical education no doubt from a privileged background and some posh public school and there are lecturing me about the virtues of equilibrium and communism, perhaps as with George Orwell some are more equal than others? Or are you like those other great heroes? Tony Benn who renounced his title to become an MP but none of the money than went with it or George Galloway saluting Saddam’s indefectibility whilst taking bungs from him!
What do you know about striking miners by the way? I was on demonstrations supporting the miners when the strike was on long before you were attending your classical Greek classes. So please don’t lecture me with your pious crap! Thank u
Bev,
‘Bildung’ is a German term. It is a term meaning education but in a much broader sense – ie education for life. The Greek term I was looking for is Paideia.
I never took Greek classes, which is probably why it wasn’t exactly on the tip of my tongue. Nor did I go to a posh school. It was a comprehensive school in South Wales. My father was a labourer and my mother is a nursery nurse. Your attitude is one prevalent in society – “oh, he has read a few books – he must be a posho”. I on the other hand am clear – the working class can and must storm the heights of political theory if it is to form itself into a ruling class and usher in human freedom. We obviously have different views of what the working class is and what it can be.
My “great heroes” (and I do think we should be careful about heroes because one then too easily falls for personality politics: Trotsky-this or a Stalin-this or a Lenin-that) are not Galloway or Benn. How could they be? I am a Marxist. Neither of them are Marxists. I am for all workers’ representatives taking a workers’ wage; annual elections; instant recallability etc etc.
You say you have “nothing against him [Adrian] being a trotskyite” but then go onto salute the management and wish them well. So there are contradictions. Well done for going onto the pickets back in the day though. What a shame you seem to have now crossed over to the other side.
Oh, and on “some being more equal than others” take a look at what we have written on this site – we are anti-Stalinist to the core and think that the Soviet Union was a freak, ectopic society that had nothing to do with socialism/communism. We need to win back the word to its true meaning. Human self-emancipation.
Thank you too.
Ben
Ben
Anyway what is the latest with Mr Swain? Presumably he has lost his appeal against dismissal and is he going to take the case to an industrial tribunal? Because he has been dismissed the employer has to refer his case to our teaching board where his licence to teach could be taken away. Regardless of any other issue I would not want to see that happen. He is now going have a real fight to stay as a teacher if there have been past issues and disciplinary the teaching board could take these into account for example the Iraq protests. I only hope he has good representation from his union or local association. Whatever he has done he has paid the price now by losing his job this should not affect his registration as a teacher.
If he is prepared to accept the rules and recaunt his views then I would have no problem with his being a teacher, however being a self confessed and self styled Trotskyite militant that has no place in any school, it is as dangerous as facism and must be defeated. No Surrender!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bev
thats a bit strong isn’t it, this is the 21st Century not the dark ages! The man has paid the price he lost his job what else do you want?
I am astonished at the crap that has been written on these pages about Adrian Swain. I could not careless if believes the moon is made of green cheese as long as he is committed to those pupils and is a good teacher would you exchange places with him in a tough London school? You would not survive a day! I hope he wins his appeals and back in that school and the politicisation of education stops
Anyone knows what has happened to this case, a decent man has been dismissed and noone cares anyway is it a case of out of sight out of mind?
No Strike action has been called: link
What ever happened to this guy? did he get reinstated?
No he never.
So all the campaigning strike action and other stuff on this site made no difference. I bet he must be thinking if it was all worth it over a pair of trainers What is he doing now? I really hope he found something else