A teaching union has dramatically decided to halt its appointment of hard-left veteran Matt Wrack as its new general secretary after a legal challenge raised serious concerns about the uncontested election.
Sources told Jewish News on Sunday that the NASUWT teaching union has reopened nominations for the leadership role and had reversed last Tuesday’s announcement on the appointment of Wrack.
It is understood that union chiefs took legal advice their handling of the nomination process ahead of a hearing scheduled at the High Court in London on Monday.EXCLUSIVE: Teaching union faces legal challenge over uncontested election of veteran left-winger Wrack
Neil Butler had attempted to stand for election as the executive’s canidate but his bid was rejected on the grounds that as a non-member union employee he was ineligible despite being a former member and teacher.
The move was welcomed by the sizeable continguent of Jewish teachers who are members of the union, and who had been supportive of the legal challenge mounted to Jeremy Corbyn ally Wrack’s appointment.
Wrack – a former head of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for 20 years who failed to get re-elected in January – was announced as the unopposed new leader last week as the executive’s “preferred candidate”.
He would have become the first leader in the NASUWT’s history never to have been a teacher or lecturer, despite the union having strict rules about recruiting only new members with sufficient educational experience.
His history of hardline statements in support of Corbyn, including downplaying the “so called antisemitism” scandal that erupted under the former Labour leader, and one-sided anti-Israel statements, left many members of the usually moderate union fearful of the direction it might now take.
“This is a victory for ordinary members, including around 1000 Jewish teachers in the NASUWT,” one source told Jewish News.
“This was an attempted take over of a moderate trade union that stands up for up for its members by the far left who want to drag it into the same niche political direction as some other unions.”
Another source added:”Jewish teachers won’t roll over an allow our spaces to be taken over by the far-left.”
The Guardian also reported that union branches NASUWT’s national executive had received “further legal advice” over flaws that had excluded other candidates.
Top legal firm Mishcon de Reya are behind legal proceedings launched on behalf of Neil Butler, the NASUWT’s national officer for Wales, and Luke Lockyer, a music teacher, had begun legal proceedings over its handling of the nomination process, with a hearing scheduled at the High Court in London on Monday morning.
Mischon are understood to have sent the union a “letter before action” last Sunday alerting them to the allegations. But on Tuesday they still went ahead and announced Wrack as general secretary.
One of the first to congratulate him was Daniel Kebede, the far-left National Education Union leader.
Butler or any other candidate must receive at least 25 branch nominations to stand in the contest.
On Sunday the union said Wrack, 62, would assume the title of “acting general secretary” until any election process was completed.
