File: [DOCX]
NEU Trafford Branch and District
Branch and District Committee Meeting 1, 2026/27
Date: Tuesday 15 September 2026
Time: 6:00 pm
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Chair: James Starnes, Branch and District Secretary
1. Welcome, attendance and introductions
The Chair welcomed members and confirmed that the committee was quorate. Members introduced themselves and confirmed their Branch and District roles.
Present
James Starnes, Branch Secretary and Caseworker; District Secretary, Treasurer, Health and Safety Officer and Caseworker
Jessica O'Kelly, District LGBT+ Officer
Natasha Cheawood, District Disabled Members Officer
Damien Tumilty, Branch and District Committee member and Assistant Treasurer
Chris Alecock, workplace representative and Branch and District Committee member
Rosie Harris, District MPYW Officer and Branch Committee member
Molly Acharya, Branch Equalities Officer and District Equalities and Black Members Officer
Kristoffer Harries, Branch and District Committee member
Kay Gallimore, Branch and District Caseworker, who joined after the meeting had begun
Apologies
No formal apologies were recorded.
2. Committee membership and voting arrangements
The Chair clarified that members serving only in District officer roles did not automatically hold voting rights on the Branch Committee. This applied particularly to Jessica O'Kelly and Natasha Cheawood.
The Chair proposed that both be considered for co-option as Branch Committee members at OGM1, subject to their agreement. This would provide voting rights across both Branch and District business and simplify the administration of combined meetings.
Rosie Harris asked whether she needed to be separately elected to the District Committee. The Chair confirmed that her position as District MPYW Officer already provided the necessary status.
ACTION: James Starnes to propose the co-option of Jessica O'Kelly and Natasha Cheawood as Branch Committee members at OGM1.
3. Minutes of the previous meeting
The minutes of the previous committee meeting were circulated during the meeting because they had not been attached to the original meeting email.
The Chair explained that some contributions had been struck through in the previous draft because they had been made by a person who was neither a serving committee member nor an invited officer-observer. The Chair accepted responsibility for not clarifying the position at the time and confirmed that future meetings would apply committee participation and voting rules more carefully.
It was clarified that incoming officers, including Kristoffer Harries and Natasha Cheawood, had been specifically invited to the previous meeting as observers. Their participation had been limited to relevant points of clarification.
Rosie Harris identified an error in the date shown at the top of the previous minutes. The Chair confirmed that the attendance date, 26 June 2026, was correct and that the reference to 29 July 2026 would be amended.
Subject to that correction, the minutes were proposed by Molly Acharya and seconded by Jessica O'Kelly.
RESOLVED: The minutes were approved as an accurate record, subject to correction of the meeting date to 26 June 2026.
ACTION: James Starnes to correct the date and circulate the amended minutes.
Branch Committee business
4. Industrial-action update
The Chair reported that a dedicated industrial-action section had been created on the NEU Trafford website to provide a single access point for information about current disputes.
Three principal areas were discussed:
The catering dispute at Altrincham College.
The concluding stages of the Flixton Girls School dispute.
The forthcoming Save Education campaign and electronic ballot.
5. Altrincham College catering dispute
The committee received an update from James Starnes and Molly Acharya on the ongoing dispute involving the Altrincham College catering team.
Basis of the dispute
The dispute concerned:
The proposed redundancy of one catering employee.
A proposed increase in the hours of the remaining catering staff.
The apparent redistribution rather than reduction of the work.
Delays in providing relevant information.
The absence of a completed workload audit before the redundancy process began.
The absence of an appropriate equality assessment at the relevant stage.
The union’s position was that the proposal did not appear to represent a meaningful redundancy where the same work would continue and be redistributed among the remaining employees.
Molly Acharya reported that the employer had appeared not to recognise the need for a workload audit until this was raised during negotiations. She also highlighted the significant financial and emotional effect on the catering team. Members had cancelled holidays and avoided events involving personal expenditure because of concerns about job security.
Industrial action
Four strike days had taken place by the date of the meeting, three of which had involved picket lines. For one day, members had been advised to strike from home to reduce the cost and burden of making repeated journeys to the workplace.
Two further strike days were planned for that week. A negotiation meeting with the employer was scheduled for the following day.
The dispute had received coverage in the local Messenger newspaper. Trafford Trades Union Council had also supported the dispute, with representatives attending some of the picket lines.
Political and public support
The committee was advised that Connor Rand MP, who was also a governor at the school, had been approached for support. Following further press coverage, a meeting had been arranged with him for later that week.
The possibility of further public support, including potential involvement from NEU President Deborah Beal, was also being explored.
ACTION: James Starnes and Molly Acharya to attend the employer negotiations and use feedback from members and workplace representatives to support the catering team’s case.
ACTION: James Starnes and Molly Acharya to prepare relevant member and workplace views for the meeting with Connor Rand MP.
Possible extension of the dispute
Jessica O'Kelly asked whether teachers at the school could join the catering team’s action or picket line without themselves having been balloted.
The Chair explained that any wider industrial action by teaching members would need to be lawful and defensible. Work was therefore taking place to identify a substantive issue directly affecting teaching members, such as workload or PPA, which could support a separate ballot.
The committee noted that member support would need to be carefully assessed. Any future strategy would need to avoid exposing a small number of unballoted members to individual disciplinary risk.
No formal decision was taken on extending the action. The matter remained under consideration and subject to further legal and organising advice.
6. Flixton Girls School dispute
Natasha Cheawood provided an update on the dispute arising from the restructuring process at Flixton Girls School.
Members had taken five strike days across three separate weeks. Once the union indicated that it would proceed to a ballot, the employer withdrew the proposed support-staff redundancies, including those affecting technicians.
The dispute subsequently involved three ACAS meetings and was substantially resolved without compulsory redundancies among NEU members. Some individuals had nevertheless left through retirement, voluntary redundancy or moving to other employment.
Negotiated outcomes
The principal outcomes included:
Protection of the support-staff roles originally at risk.
Restoration of language provision that had been proposed for reduction.
An increase in PPA from the employer’s proposed 10% to 14%.
A commitment to further ACAS-supported work to rebuild trust between staff, the union and leadership.
The committee discussed the basis for securing more than the statutory minimum PPA allocation. Natasha Cheawood explained that the arguments included established practice and the additional workload created by the restructure.
The Chair confirmed that 10% represented the minimum requirement rather than a ceiling and that the NEU’s preferred position was 20%. Members were encouraged to seek improvements during negotiations rather than limiting claims to statutory minima.
The dispute was regarded as largely concluded, subject to the outstanding ACAS-supported reconciliation process.
7. Save Education campaign and electronic ballot
The Chair outlined the forthcoming Save Education campaign and ballot.
Ballot arrangements
The ballot was expected to be conducted electronically by email rather than by post. Members would therefore need an accurate personal email address registered within My NEU or Stratum. Work email addresses could not be used as the ballot destination.
Kay Gallimore clarified that members could hold more than one address on their records but should identify their personal address as the relevant preference for ballot communications.
The committee was advised that the ballot was currently expected to cover teachers rather than support staff. Members expressed concern about the exclusion of support staff, while also noting the wider issues surrounding the union’s relationship with NJC unions and the TUC.
The Chair expected further information following the forthcoming Branch and District Secretaries’ meeting and related national discussions.
Campaign communications
Molly Acharya reported that members and representatives had received relatively little campaign information at that stage.
The committee was advised that members should have received a campaign postcard. Failure to receive the postcard might indicate that the member’s postal address needed updating.
Representatives had received general noticeboard materials, while further campaign-specific resources were expected after presentation to the relevant national structures.
ACTION: James Starnes to confirm and communicate the ballot timetable, electronic voting arrangements and the need for members to register a personal email address.
ACTION: James Starnes to circulate a concise Branch and District update after receiving further information through the national meetings.
Representatives’ and members’ briefings
The Chair had initially considered holding an all-representatives briefing on Friday 25 September, following the representatives’ training day.
Rosie Harris raised concern that a Friday evening event could reduce attendance. The Chair accepted the point and agreed to consider holding separate representatives’ and members’ briefings on the following Monday or Tuesday instead.
ACTION: James Starnes to reschedule and publish the Save Education briefing arrangements, avoiding the proposed Friday evening.
8. Branch service arrangements for 2026/27
The committee received an update on officer availability and facilities time.
The normal weekly arrangements were:
Kay Gallimore: Mondays and Tuesdays.
James Starnes: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
The Chair explained that his allocation amounted to approximately 2.78 days, with local PPA arrangements being used to preserve three clear days for union work. It was agreed that the precise effect of the arrangement should be checked separately.
ACTION: James Starnes and Kay Gallimore to review the facilities-time and PPA calculation to ensure that the arrangement accurately reflected the allocation.
9. Branch Committee meeting schedule
Kay Gallimore identified that four Branch and District Committee meetings had been scheduled, although only three were considered necessary.
Following discussion, it was proposed that the meeting scheduled for 17 March 2027 be removed.
Branch vote
The Branch Committee voted unanimously to remove the Branch element of the meeting scheduled for 17 March 2027.
RESOLVED: The Branch Committee meeting scheduled for 17 March 2027 was cancelled.
The remaining OGM and AGM dates would not be changed by the committee because those dates had been established by the respective general meetings.
District Committee business
10. District Committee meeting schedule
Following the closure of the Branch business, the committee formally considered the District element of the 17 March 2027 meeting.
The District Committee voted unanimously to cancel the District element of that meeting.
RESOLVED: The combined Branch and District Committee meeting scheduled for 17 March 2027 was cancelled in full.
The committee considered whether the remaining dates required adjustment but ultimately agreed to retain the existing BDCM, OGM and AGM dates for the time being.
The January BDCM would remain on 12 January 2027, two weeks before OGM2 on 26 January 2027.
ACTION: James Starnes to remove the 17 March 2027 meeting from the published calendar.
11. Stand Up to Racism unity rally
The committee considered a request for support for a Stand Up to Racism unity rally scheduled for Saturday 26 September 2026 at 11:00 am, at All Saints Park, Oxford Road, Manchester.
The request included:
Permission to include the NEU Trafford logo on future publicity.
A financial donation towards the rally.
Attendance by local officers and members.
The possible provision of banner holders.
Requests for additional stewards.
Use of the NEU Trafford logo
The committee noted that it could authorise the use of the NEU Trafford identity but could not independently authorise use of the generic national NEU brand.
Members considered that inclusion of the local logo would provide useful public visibility, even if a formal officer presence could not be guaranteed.
RESOLVED: The use of the NEU Trafford logo on the rally’s publicity was approved unanimously.
Donation
The committee first voted in principle to make a donation.
The recorded vote was:
For: 6
Against: 1
Abstention: 1
Following discussion of an appropriate amount, the committee considered a donation of £100.
The vote on the amount was:
For: 6
Against: 0
Abstentions: 2
RESOLVED: A donation of £100 was approved in support of the Stand Up to Racism unity rally, subject to the decision being formally reported to OGM1.
The Chair explained that payment needed to be made before OGM1 because the rally would take place before the meeting.
ACTION: James Starnes to arrange the £100 donation and report the decision to OGM1 for formal ratification.
ACTION: Molly Acharya to send the updated rally publicity to James Starnes.
Attendance and stewarding
No officer was able to make a firm commitment to represent NEU Trafford, carry the banner or act as a steward.
The committee noted potential safety concerns because a far-right counter-protest was anticipated. The Chair would establish what presence other local NEU districts intended to provide before circulating further information to members.
ACTION: James Starnes to establish which other local NEU districts planned to attend and circulate appropriate information to members.
12. Branch and District social media
Kay Gallimore explained that she had been maintaining the Branch and District social-media accounts informally but could no longer commit the time needed to do this consistently.
The committee discussed dividing responsibility across platforms.
Kristoffer Harries volunteered to manage the Facebook account. Rosie Harris volunteered to support the Instagram account.
Members discussed linking Facebook and Instagram to allow posts to be cross-published.
Potential content included:
Website updates.
Local press coverage.
Campaign materials.
Information about local disputes.
Photographs and videos from picket lines and union events.
No commitment was made to establish an active TikTok, X/Twitter or LinkedIn operation. Members considered that Facebook and Instagram should be the immediate priorities, with Facebook Stories and Instagram Reels available for short-form video content.
ACTION: James Starnes and Kay Gallimore to arrange access to the existing accounts and transfer the relevant credentials.
ACTION: Kristoffer Harries to lead on Facebook content.
ACTION: Rosie Harris to lead on Instagram content and explore cross-posting between the accounts.
13. Items for OGM1
The Chair invited committee members to submit any items requiring consideration at OGM1, including proposed donations or other matters requiring approval by the general meeting.
The items already identified for OGM1 were:
Proposed co-option of Jessica O'Kelly and Natasha Cheawood as Branch Committee members.
Formal reporting or ratification of the £100 Stand Up to Racism rally donation.
Any further charity donation requests or member-submitted business.
ACTION: Committee members to send proposed OGM1 agenda items to James Starnes.
14. Any other business
No further substantive Branch or District business was raised.
The Chair thanked members for attending and closed the formal meeting after approximately one hour and 33 minutes.
Decisions and resolutions
The previous committee minutes were approved, subject to correction of the meeting date to 26 June 2026.
The Branch element of the committee meeting scheduled for 17 March 2027 was cancelled unanimously.
The District element of the committee meeting scheduled for 17 March 2027 was cancelled unanimously.
Use of the NEU Trafford logo on publicity for the Stand Up to Racism unity rally was approved unanimously.
A donation of £100 to support the Stand Up to Racism unity rally was approved, to be reported formally to OGM1.
Responsibility for social-media activity would begin transferring from Kay Gallimore, with Kristoffer Harries leading on Facebook and Rosie Harris leading on Instagram.
Actions arising
ActionResponsibleCorrect the previous meeting date to 26 June 2026 and circulate the amended minutesJames StarnesPropose Jessica O'Kelly and Natasha Cheawood for co-option as Branch Committee members at OGM1James StarnesAttend the Altrincham College negotiation meeting and present members’ and workplace representatives’ concernsJames Starnes and Molly AcharyaPrepare member and workplace views for the meeting with Connor Rand MPJames Starnes and Molly AcharyaConfirm and communicate the Save Education electronic-ballot arrangementsJames StarnesReschedule and publish the representatives’ and members’ Save Education briefingsJames StarnesCirculate a concise Save Education update following the national meetingsJames StarnesReview the facilities-time and PPA calculationJames Starnes and Kay GallimoreRemove the 17 March 2027 BDCM from the published calendarJames StarnesSend the updated Stand Up to Racism rally flyer to James StarnesMolly AcharyaArrange the £100 rally donation and report it formally to OGM1James StarnesCheck which other NEU districts will attend the rally and circulate information to membersJames StarnesTransfer social-media access and credentialsJames Starnes and Kay GallimoreLead on the NEU Trafford Facebook accountKristoffer HarriesLead on the NEU Trafford Instagram account and explore cross-postingRosie HarrisSubmit proposed OGM1 agenda itemsCommittee members