The national executive of the National Education Union (NEU), the largest education union in Europe, has unanimously voted to back the International Youth Strike on Friday 20th November, when students in more than 50 towns and cities across Britain will walk out of schools, colleges and universities under the slogan ‘fight for our future, not their wars’.

In the motion agreed at its meeting on October 22nd, the executive resolved to “express support for the right of young people to peacefully organise, protest and make their voices heard, including those taking part in the N20 day of action”, and to “oppose disciplinary action against students participating in peaceful protest activity, including detentions or other sanctions, and to support campaigns defending students’ rights where required”.

The union will also tell members about the strike through NEU communications channels, including how they can “safely and responsibly support participating students’ rights in line with safeguarding requirements and legal obligations”, and will advise members who wish to volunteer as stewards at local student demonstrations. Bristol NEU has already passed its own motion offering practical support for the students’ protest, such as hi-viz jackets or the cost of hiring a sound system, and backing members who volunteer as stewards where organisers ask for them and safeguarding arrangements are in place.

The National Union of Students (NUS) which represents over seven million students, announced on 28th October, in its response to the chancellor’s autumn budget, that it too will be taking part in the youth strike.  NUS said the budget “does nothing for students”: the chancellor had done nothing about unfair student loans in England, had slowed the growth of the minimum wage for people aged 18 to 20, breaking a manifesto promise, and had given no detail on funding universities and colleges.  Students had been left out of the conversation, NUS said, and “that’s why NUS is taking part in the youth strike”.  It is asking students to sign up to take part on the day.

The University and College Union (UCU) has called a national day of action over the crisis in higher education on the same day, and wants to see rallies, protests and events in every university. UNISON, which organises support staff in universities, has now voted to join it.  “Every university in the UK protesting on the same day”, the two unions said.

Socialist Students applauds union backing

Adam Powell-Davies, the national chair of Socialist Students, one of the founding initiating organisations of N20, said: “We warmly welcome the NEU’s support.  No student should be punished for peacefully standing up for their future, and when students walk out on 20th November they will know that Europe’s largest education union is on their side. Teachers see every day what years of cuts have done to our schools and colleges, and through their union they are standing with the students who are fighting back”.

“With the NUS now also taking part, and UCU and UNISON calling for protests in every university on the same day, 20th November will be a day of action right across education.  As the NUS says, the budget did nothing for students.  Labour has cut university teaching grants two years running while planning to raise military spending to close to £80 billion a year by 2029. That is why we say: fight for our future, not their wars”.

Socialist Students, one of the constituent organisations of TUSC with representation on our steering committee, was at the assembly of twelve different youth and student organisations from eight countries held in Cologne on 14th June that agreed the plan for N20, following a successful series of school student strikes in Germany against the government’s plan there to re-introduce conscription.  Since then, as youth movements have flared up across Europe, further organisations have joined the network from Italy (three), Belgium (three), Germany (two), Netherlands (two), and one each from France, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, and Slovenia.  In Britain a further two organisations are now on board – the Young Greens, and the Stop The War Coalition, the later welcomed to their first meeting of the international organising group on October 17th. 

Students in all these countries will be taking action on 20 November, and in Italy the CGIL, the country’s largest trade union confederation, has called a 24-hour general strike on the same day.  In Britain walkouts are already planned at more than 100 schools, colleges and universities, and the main London protest is at 12pm in Parliament Square. ■

Protests confirmed so far for Friday 20 November:

• London: 12pm, Parliament Square
• Birmingham: 12pm, University of Birmingham, Green Heart; city demo 2:30pm, High Street (outside Waterstones)
• Leeds: 1:30pm, Parkinson Steps
• Sheffield: 1pm, Barker’s Pool
• Manchester and Salford: 12pm, Whitworth Arch, then march to No10 North
• Liverpool: 1pm, University Square
• Bristol: 1pm, College Green
• Leicester: 1:30pm, the Clock Tower
• Cardiff: 11am, Cardiff University Students’ Union, Park Place
• Coventry: 12pm, Broadgate
• Nottingham: 12:30pm, Nottingham Trent Students’ Union
• Brighton: 12:30pm, St Peter’s Square, Richmond Place
• Hull: 12:30pm, Queen’s Gardens
• Northampton: 12:30pm, Angel Square
• Southampton: 12pm, Guildhall Square
• Swansea: 12pm, Swansea University (Fulton House Green) and Gower College Gorseinon (College Gates)
• York: 2pm, St Helen’s Square
• Reading: 12pm, Forbury Gardens
• Preston: 12pm, University of Lancashire Student Centre
• Cambridge: 4pm, King’s Parade
• Guildford: 12:30pm, University of Surrey, Philip Marchant Building
• Cheltenham: 12pm, Imperial Gardens
• Carlisle: 12pm, Market Cross
• Worcester: 3pm, Sabrina Bridge
• Paisley: from 11am, UWS Paisley Campus Library

More will be announced in the coming weeks.

For further information check out the Socialist Students website at https://socialiststudents.org.uk/ 

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