Pete Murry of Brent Green Party has sent the following message to the National Education Union
As Green Party Trade Union Liaison Officer for Brent and for the London Federation of Green Parties, I am both pleased and sad to be sending support to the teachers at The Village School in Kingsbury for a second time.
I am pleased to convey the support of the Green Party to Trades unionists who oppose academisations, and because, as a UCU member, I have the greatest respect for the NEU members who are now taking strike action again to protect a public education service for the people of Brent which large amounts of council resources have been paid to develop.
I am saddened that the strike is now taking place because of the intransigence of the School Governors and their Chair, (who is also the Brent Labour Group whip), and the refusal of the Brent Labour Leader Muhammed Butt to clearly oppose academisation of the Village School; although it is becoming increasingly apparent that academisation is an expensive and unworkable policy which is of minimal benefit to education.