Your NASUWT Local Association and the Local Association Secretary represent a key source of support and advice for the NASUWT workplace team.

The Local Association Secretary is the first port of call for NASUWT Representatives. Local Associations will also make sure that Representatives have details of their Regional Centres where prompt advice and guidance is always available.

The role of the Equality Officer

Below are some key duties of an Equality Officer:

  • promoting and supporting the equalities agenda within the Local Association;

  • working alongside the other Officers of the Local Association to bring equalities into the mainstream;

  • encouraging members from under-represented groups to become involved in Union activity (Black, disabled, LGBTI, women and young members are under-represented within the lay structures of the NASUWT);

  • supporting recruitment and organising of members from under-represented groups;

  • promoting equality issues in local campaigns and activities;

  • advising on equalities issues affecting members.

Training and support
Equalities Training and Development Days

Termly Equalities Training and Development Days are held at NASUWT Headquarters to provide training information and advice on a range of equalities issues and developments in legislation, employment law and campaigns. All briefings take place at Hillscourt Education Centre, Rose Hill, Rednal, Birmingham B45 8RS.

Previous development days have included sessions on peer-based online sexual harassment, eradicating teacher pay inequality and promoting female role models in society.

The role of the Health and Safety Co-ordinator

The Local Association Health and Safety Co-ordinator (HSC) is a position that is normally elected from within the Executive Committee of the Local Association.

Where there is a prominent Health and Safety Representative, they could be encouraged to stand for election or be co-opted onto the Local Executive in order to be the HSC.

HSCs perform a crucial role to support and educate members with health and safety issues.

The role of the HSC is to co-ordinate health and safety activity across the Local Association. This could include:

  • attending local authority Health and Safety Committee meetings;

  • where applicable, attending Health and Safety Committee meetings for any academy trusts handled by the Local Association;

  • organising training and/or briefings for Health and Safety Representatives within the Local Association;

  • attending Regional Health and Safety Committee meetings;

  • undertaking inspections of schools within the Local Association; [1]

  • giving advice to Health and Safety Representatives in the Local Association;

  • attending the Health and Safety Seminar Day;

  • updating members on health and safety issues in the Local Association; and

  • assisting health and safety-related casework.

This list is not exhaustive and the role can develop in many ways.

Time off for HSC duties

Under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 and the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1979, Health and Safety Representatives, which would normally include the HSC, are entitled to sufficient time off with pay to undertake their duties.

This is different from Workplace Representatives who are only entitled to reasonable time off. Time off for HSC duties should therefore be separate from the facility time allocations, due to the different legislative underpinning.

Support for the HSC

Support for the HSC can be derived from a number of sources:

  • Local Association Secretary;

  • National Executive Member;

  • Regional/National Centre; and

  • NASUWT Headquarters.

Where absent, all Local Associations are encouraged to establish the role of HSC, and as the number of HSCs increases, the Union will also explore the provision of events specifically for the HSCs.

Footnote
[1] Where the HSC is employed by the local authority, there is a legal entitlement to act as a Health and Safety Representative across community schools maintained by the local authority.