THE NEED FOR STRENGTH, UNITY AND SOLIDARITY I WAS IMMENSLEY PROUD to be the NEU’s elected National President for the union’s annual conference on 11-14 April this year, as we came together in person for the first time since 2019. So much has changed since then. In 2019 the conference was addressed by the then leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, Theresa May was the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson was on the back benches, none of us had a clue what Zoom was, we had never heard the phrase “You’re still on mute” and the thought of a global pandemic was beyond most of our comprehension. It feels like a lifetime ago, and it is the same feeling for May Day, which was also last celebrated on the streets in 2019. It has been such a turbulent time. During this pandemic our children, our families, our communities, have faced their toughest challenge yet. We have been through so much as a profession and indeed so much as a union. It has been a time of crisis in which our government has not valued the lives of ordinary people. At our conference this year I thanked our members and officers for raising the issue of health and safety at work, because without that many more lives would have been lost. In our union, we all have stories of grief and loss coming out of this journey. However, education workers have gained a renewed respect in our communities as we have kept families connected, fed and supported through this isolating time.The NEU has gained over 50,000 new members as more and more workers realise the power of their trade union. May Day takes place as working people face the biggest squeeze on living standards in 50 years and the most catastrophic cost-of-living crisis in a generation. We know that rising fuel prices, energy bills, food costs and tax rises are
© JessHurd28 taking their toll on our members. Our schools are facing renewed funding pressures and child poverty is spiralling out of control. The need for strength, unity and solidarity across the trade union movement has never been stronger. Making the connections between our own struggles and others is critical to achieving the equal and inclusive education system our union is fighting for. We want to build an education system and society in which our children and young people can flourish. Daniel Kebede President National Education Union
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