Seamus Searson delivered the Report of the General Secretary at the SSTA Annual Congress on Friday 8 May 2015. The text of the General Secretary's report can be download using the link below. Report of the General Secretary

Ashley Cameron an Ambassador for 'Who Cares? Scotland' was the Guest Speaker at the SSTA Annual Congress on 8/9 May 2015, and delivered an informative and inspiring speech about her life in care, & since.

Dr Janet Brown, Chief Executive and Ronnie Summers, Head of Qualifications Development (CfE) of the SQA attended the SSTA Annual Congress on 8 May, and answered questions from delegates.  

Presidential Address Members, our friends and our distinguished guests from kindred organisations within Scotland and further afield, it is a great honour for me that I stand before you, to some extent by chance, on this, the occasion of the 70th annual Congress of our respected and successful trade union. Just as in 1944, we stand true to our trade union principles in promotion of a distinctive secondary voice in Scottish education. Back then in those dark years of global…

I suppose any period of 12 months in the annals of any trades union would be described as being “difficult”. However, I would contend that the last 12 months have been particularly challenging as we have tried to come to terms with some fairly serious internal matters. It is as a consequence that I address you this afternoon slightly surreal as I imagined my days of Presidential addresses or General Secretary reports were well and truly over.

It seems almost inconceivable that two years have passed since Peter Wright called me ‘Muggins’ and pinned the President’s badge on me – -and what a two years they have been Following my last Congress address I was described in the editorial of a national newspaper as, ‘selfish and irresponsible,’ ‘living on the moon,’ and an example of ‘why members were deserting trade unions.’ I must have got something right.

Details of the motions passed at Congress, held on 11-12 May 2012 can be found on our website below. Further details of this, and a review of other business, will be sent to all members in the next newsletter. In the meantime this will provide some information about the issues dealt with at Congress.

The recurring theme of my last several District Secretary Reports, and indeed motions to Congress, was that of ‘Groundhog Day,’ ie, that each year we faced again the same issues of indiscipline, large classes and unrealistic expectations of teachers, in addition to ongoing pernicious issues such as workplace bullying and intimidation. There was, several years ago, a brief moment when we thought things might be changing –

Video of the Guest Speech and a selection of the debate at Congress 2011 Peter Wright giving the Presidential address to Congress 2011 Mike Jennings, IFUT General Secretary speech at SSTA Congress 2011 - Part 1 Mike Jennings, IFUT General Secretary speech at SSTA Congress 2011 - Part 2 Janine McCullough speaking in favour of the Salaries & Conditions of Service Committee Report. John Gray speaking in favour of the Salaries & Conditions of Service Committee report. Alan Taylor and…