Classroom assistant suspended for anti-Blair protest
Defend Robin Sivapalan | 11.09.2006 22:19 | Education | Repression | Workers' Movements | London
A London classroom assistant has been suspended for helping to organise a protest against Blair when he spoke at his school last week. Please support the campaign to defend his job and workers' right to protest.
Support Robin Sivapalan - defend workers' right to protest
On 7 September, Tony Blair and Education Secretary Alan Johnson visited Quintin Kynaston school in north London to announce the first wave of 28 "trust schools" run by business, charitable and religious organisations - of which QK will be one of two in London. They were met by a demonstration, supported by Unison and NUT locally and School Students Against the War, and composed mainly of students from the school, expressing opposition to government policy on trust schools, privatisation and the wars in Iraq and Lebanon.
The initiator of this demonstration, QK classroom assistant Robin Sivapalan, has now been suspended from his job for "insubordination" and "breaching confidentiality" by informing people of Blair’s visit.
The attempt to victimise Robin is an attack on freedom of speech and the right to protest. We are not prepared to see public service trade unionists silenced when they dare to express opposition to government policy.
We the undersigned call on the management of Quintin Kynaston to immediately reinstate Robin Sivapalan and drop all disciplinary charges against him.
- To sign this statement or for more information email
robin@free-education.org.uk
On 7 September, Tony Blair and Education Secretary Alan Johnson visited Quintin Kynaston school in north London to announce the first wave of 28 "trust schools" run by business, charitable and religious organisations - of which QK will be one of two in London. They were met by a demonstration, supported by Unison and NUT locally and School Students Against the War, and composed mainly of students from the school, expressing opposition to government policy on trust schools, privatisation and the wars in Iraq and Lebanon.
The initiator of this demonstration, QK classroom assistant Robin Sivapalan, has now been suspended from his job for "insubordination" and "breaching confidentiality" by informing people of Blair’s visit.
The attempt to victimise Robin is an attack on freedom of speech and the right to protest. We are not prepared to see public service trade unionists silenced when they dare to express opposition to government policy.
We the undersigned call on the management of Quintin Kynaston to immediately reinstate Robin Sivapalan and drop all disciplinary charges against him.
- To sign this statement or for more information email
robin@free-education.org.uk
Defend Robin Sivapalan
e-mail:
robin@free-education.org.uk
Comments
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my opinion
26.03.2007 20:14
Robin was entrusted with confidential information which he didn't keep secret so the school dispensed of him. the students did not know about tony blair's arrival and Robin telling protesters lead to protesters convincing younger students to booing blair without knowing what it was about. the students thought being shown through the media would improve their own need to be recognised. miss shuter the headteacher the next day recieved many emails saying "i was disgusted with the qk students behaviour."
ahmed jawad
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AJ@hotmail.com
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