Natfhe conference finally gives green light to new super-union, reports Phil Baty
Natfhe activists have voted "yes" to a merger with the Association of University Teachers, leaving just one hurdle to the creation of a 115,000-strong higher education super-union: an autumn ballot of members in both unions.
After an often heated four and a half hour debate at last weekend's Natfhe annual conference in Eastbourne, delegates set aside concerns about the future democratic structures of the new union and voted overwhelmingly to put detailed plans for a merged union to a ballot of the union's full membership.
Delegates at last month's AUT conference voted to do likewise with their members.
Officials in both unions think it is highly unlikely that the grassroots members will overturn the considered view of both unions' elected representatives and their supreme governing bodies.
Paul Mackney, Natfhe's general secretary who was elected on a pro-merger platform in 1997, said it was his "moment of joy".
"A single union will be much more effective in the face of employer intransigence over pay and much more influential in dialogue with government," he said. "It will be the biggest post-schools education union in the world."
Sally Hunt, AUT general secretary, warned members that if they voted to change the carefully negotiated proposed constitution the deal would collapse.
Ms Hunt said: "There is a momentum now within our unions, and we will be putting the final decision to merge in the safe hands of AUT and Natfhe members."
Both unions' members will be balloted in September or October this year, and the new union would be formally established on June 1, 2006, if members vote "yes".
The decisive vote, which led to scenes of jubilation and tears of joy among Nafthe and AUT officials, came after the defeat of a long series of so-called wrecking motions that would have potentially scuppered the deal by forcing the unions back to the negotiating table over details of the new union's proposed constitution.
Natfhe activists were concerned that the proposed constitution, now in its sixth draft, removes their historic regional structures. Under the new rules, union branches in individual institutions will chose delegates and motions for annual conference, as is current practice in the AUT.
Natfhe has chosen delegates and motions in regional groupings of branches, and some delegates wanted the rules renegotiated to protect these regional groupings.
An emergency motion was submitted from the Yorkshire and Humberside Region calling for a special one-day Natfhe conference to pore over the details of the new constitution.
Potentially, it could have forced changes that would have to be put to the AUT for further negotiation. It was defeated only after dire warnings that it would wreck the whole deal. Supporters of the motion forced a count, but it was defeated by 138 votes to 66.
After Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, had given his blessing to the merger, the final vote was carried with just one opponent, Craig Snaith of London Metropolitan University. There was one abstention.