The National Education Union general secretary speaks to Ben Chacko on growing calls to protect children from a toxic online culture
NESS WOODCOCK-DENNIS was a nurse for many years but after four years of the public pay freeze, she quit in 2014 to become a tutor. She now teaches the future nurses of the NHS.
“I can’t in good conscience teach these students and not do anything,” she says, “they need to be treated with respect.” That is why on the evening of the government announcement, Ness created a Facebook group called NHS Workers Say No to Public Sector Pay Inequality.
Within a day the group had over 20,000 members, many helping to organise and plan action to protest for fairer pay for nurses and NHS workers. By day five, the group has over 62,000 members and 18 confirmed protest marches across Britain on August 8 at 11am.
Government urged ‘to tackle the root causes’ of the NHS crisis and improve ‘social care services’
With 170,000 children living in poverty in north-east England and teachers leaving in droves over 20 per cent real-terms pay cuts since 2010, all while private companies siphon off billions, it is time to unite and fight for education, writes MATT WRACK
Here are the voices of DANIEL KEBEDE, FRAN HEATHCOTE, HOLLY TURNER and LEANNE MOHAMAD explaining why they will be taking part in the People’s Assembly No More Austerity demo next weekend



