OGM 2
OGM 2 – NEU Trafford (Branch and District)
2. Participants
James Starnes (DBS, Tres, H&S)
Christopher Hirst (DB CM)
Chris Alecock (B CM)
Claire L (Unverified) (D MemSec)
ROSIE HARRIS (D NPYW, B CM)
DAMIEN TUMILTY (DB CM)
Emily Hill
K Harries (External)
molly (Unverified) (DB BMO,EqO)
Jessica O'Kelly (D LGBT+)
Emma J Nixon (External)
Apologies received from:
Kay Gallimore (B Caseworker),
Angella Henry (B Equalities, D Equalities, BMO)
Generated by AI. Checked for accuracy by JS
Meeting notes:
Co-option and Election of Committee Members: James Starnes led the process of co-opting DAMIEN as assistant treasurer, Chris Alcock as district committee member, and Kris Harries as both branch and district committee member, with support and proposals from Molly, Rosie, and other committee members.
Co-option Process Explanation: James explained that mid-year appointments to vacant roles are handled by co-option, requiring a proposer and seconder, rather than a full election process.
Appointment of DAMIEN as Assistant Treasurer: DAMIEN was co-opted as assistant treasurer to fulfil the requirement that bank signatories be active officers, with the role limited to bank signatory duties and not involving cash book management; Chris Alcock and Molly acted as proposer and seconder.
Filling Committee Vacancies: James listed current vacancies on both branch and district committees, including assistant branch secretary, support staff officer, supply officer, environment officer, president, vice president, women's officer, disabled members officer, post-16 officer, and two auditors, and invited expressions of interest.
Clarification of Committee Roles: James clarified the distinction between branch and district committees, with branch focusing on member representation and district handling campaigns and finances, and answered questions from Chris Alcock and Kris Harries about the expectations and time commitments of committee membership.
Co-option of Chris Alcock and Kris Harries: Chris Alcock was co-opted as district committee member, and Kris Harries was co-opted as both branch and district committee member, following proposals and seconding from Rosie, Molly, and Chris Hurst.
Branch Casework Update and Reporting: James Starnes provided an update on the branch's active casework, including the volume and types of cases, the impact of regional office restructuring, and discussed potential improvements to casework reporting with input from Molly.
Current Casework Volume and Types: James reported that the branch is handling over 30 active cases, including a growing number of disciplinaries and complex cases, with some cases being escalated to the settlements team for legal handling.
Impact of Regional Office Restructuring: Due to regional office restructuring, the branch is now expected to manage more job-at-risk cases, with only the most severe being escalated, increasing the workload for branch reps and requiring advanced training for handling type 2 cases.
Casework Reporting and Visibility: In response to Molly's question, James stated that reps do not currently need to report every resolved issue but expressed interest in developing a non-onerous reporting system, possibly using Microsoft Forms, to track trends and demographics in casework.
Trends in Settlements and ECT Support: James noted an increase in settlements, particularly to avoid disciplinary action or to support ECTs at risk of failing their induction, allowing them to transfer to more supportive schools.
Communications Strategy and Member Engagement: James Starnes outlined recent improvements in member and rep engagement through the use of targeted text messaging, discussed the associated costs, and clarified the limited and strategic use of this communication method.
Introduction of Text Messaging: James described the recent adoption of text messaging to contact members and reps, which resulted in significantly higher engagement rates for events such as the reps briefing on safe education and prioritisation of motions.
Strategic Use and Cost Management: James committed to using text messaging only for essential notifications, such as national or local actions, OGMs, AGMs, and elections, limiting the number of messages to avoid over-communication and managing costs, which are budgeted and remain well within projections.
Comparison with Previous Communication Methods: Text messaging was found to be much more effective than previous email-based systems, with engagement rates increasing by over twenty times for some activities.
Branch and District Elections and Conference Delegates: James Starnes announced the upcoming branch and district elections, provided key dates, and led the ratification of annual conference delegates and priority motions, ensuring compliance with gender and role representation requirements.
Election Timelines and Process: James provided the opening and closing dates for branch and district elections, explained the process for voting and result announcements, and directed members to the NEU Trafford website for further information.
Ratification of Conference Delegates: Delegates for the annual conference were listed and ratified, with attention to gender balance and representation from various staff categories, fulfilling national requirements.
Priority Motions for Conference: The group unanimously ratified a list of priority motions for the conference, covering topics such as fair pay for support staff, opposition to the new Ofsted framework, SEND provision, workload, pay restoration, and online balloting.
Together Alliance Motion and Demonstration Funding: James Starnes presented the Together Alliance motion regarding support for the 28 March demonstration, facilitated discussion on funding options, and led the group in amending and unanimously passing the motion to allow for flexible travel funding based on member interest.
Presentation of the Motion: James shared the Together Alliance motion, which called for publicising the demonstration, funding a coach, supporting mobilisation, and affiliating with Stand Up to Racism, and displayed the motion text for review.
Discussion of Logistics and Costs: Participants discussed the cost-effectiveness of hiring a coach versus funding train tickets, with DAMIEN and Christopher highlighting previous low turnout and the financial risks of underused transport.
Amendment and Voting: DAMIEN proposed amending the motion to allow for funding either a coach or train tickets based on a threshold of interested members, with the group agreeing on a minimum of seven participants for a minibus; the amendment and the motion as a whole were passed unanimously.
Communication and Promotion Plans: James confirmed that the event would be promoted via Action Network email and possibly text message, with timing to avoid overloading members with communications.
Save Education Campaign and Indicative Ballot: James Starnes updated the group on the NEU's Save Education campaign, detailing the government's pay proposals, threats to support staff and directed time, and the upcoming indicative ballot, while answering questions from Jessica O'Kelly and others.
Campaign Overview and Government Proposals: James explained that the government is proposing a 6.5% pay rise over three years, with the first year likely only 1.5%, which is unfunded and expected to result in restructures and redundancies, particularly targeting support staff.
Threats to Directed Time (1265 Hours): The government is also proposing to re-evaluate the 1265 directed hours, potentially moving towards office-style working hours, which the NEU opposes; James clarified that schools are required to provide staff with a breakdown of their directed time.
Indicative Ballot and Member Participation: An indicative ballot will be launched on 28 February for both teachers and support staff, with different questions for each group; James encouraged members to ensure their details are up to date and to vote 'yes' to the ballot questions.
Dashboard Issues and Support Staff Representation: Molly raised concerns about dashboards only showing teacher members, which James explained is due to the legal requirement for separate ballots and dashboards for teachers and support staff.
Trafford Pride and Funding for Engagement Events: Jessica O'Kelly updated the group on efforts to secure an NEU presence at Trafford Pride and enquired about funding, with James confirming that budget is available for such events and offering to provide previous costing information.
Status of Trafford Pride Stall: Jessica reported ongoing communication with Trafford Pride organisers regarding stall arrangements and asked about the process for securing branch or district funding for the event.
Budget Availability and Next Steps: James confirmed that funds are allocated in the budget for membership engagement and equality events, and offered to share previous costings to assist with planning.
Annual Conference Delegate Meeting Arrangements: Jessica O'Kelly asked about plans for an in-person meeting of conference delegates, with James and DAMIEN explaining the informal nature of the meeting and confirming that arrangements will be made once conference packs are available.
Purpose and Format of Delegate Meeting: James described the meeting as an informal dinner to discuss motions, voting procedures, and conference logistics, with DAMIEN adding practical advice for delegates.
Scheduling and Communication: James stated that the meeting will be scheduled after half term, once conference packs are distributed, and will coordinate with delegates via WhatsApp to find a suitable date.
Follow-up tasks:
Branch and District Committee Vacancies: Update the website with the current list of committee and officer vacancies and ensure it is visible to all members. (James)
Together Alliance Demo Logistics: Obtain quotes for coach and train ticket options for the Together Alliance demonstration and publicise the amended motion via Action Network within the next week. (James)
Demo Promotion Materials: Create or source a poster for the Together Alliance demonstration for reps to display on workplace notice boards by the end of the week. (James)
Trafford Pride NEU Stall Funding: Send costing information for last year’s Pride boxes to Jessica O'Kelly to assist with budgeting for the NEU stall at Trafford Pride. (James)
Conference Delegates Pre-Event Meeting: Poll delegates in the WhatsApp group to determine a suitable date for the pre-conference dinner and briefing after half term. (James)