URGENT Please Read and if you agree respond

Date: 14 January 2011 18:32:34

Ok, should be elsewhere continuing the post-graduation celebrations with TOH but this is urgent and needs your attention NOW. Have copied my e-mail some of you will have got and the stuff that I forwarded on. I know it's scruffy but....

For more background please read this previous post. Also for counter arguments please read the comments given in response by readers of the post. I do appreciate that not everybody feels as I do.

Dear All

As you can see below a final vote on EMA has been secured for Wed 19th January. Please could you consider writing to your MP this weekend to ask them to 1) attend the vote on Wednesday and 2) vote in favour of keeping EMA. As a parent of a child in receipt of EMA and as a teacher of students who get it I know the benefit of this allowance and the impact it will have particularly on those from "lower middle class" families who won't get the replacement. Also in view of the fact there has only been about a week between the announcement and the actual vote it's vital we write this weekend. Please forward this onto anybody you think might be interested in the campaign. Sorry, if this seems like spam but it's something I feel is really important and hoped you would too. Not planning on making a habit of such e-mail or FB messages. Also apologies if you have this twice. Cheers Sally -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent: 13 January 2011 11:54 To: All Users Subject: FW: Final Vote on EMA secured for Wednesday 19th January - Keep up the good work. Hi, Please see NUS release for update on EMA issue. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gareth Lindop [mailto:Gareth.Lindop@nus.org.uk] Sent: 13 January 2011 11:41 To: Gareth Lindop Subject: Final Vote on EMA secured for Wednesday 19th January - Keep up the good work. Hi all, As you will no doubt be aware, a large number of the students you work with are currently facing the prospect of having no EMA for their next year of study. Many of you, both staff and officers who I have spoken to over the last few months have said how devastating this could be for students on the colleges in which you work. NUS along with many local FE Unions did so much last term to lobby MP's, asking them to do all they can to save this vital allowance for so many students. It is thanks to your work that it was announced on Tuesday that there will now be a vote on the abolition of EMA on Wednesday 19th January. Therefore, we are asking students, reps, officers and staff who support learner voice for one final week of campaigning to try and save EMA and make sure MP's keep any promises they made to students and colleges last term. Ahead of elections this term, now is a great time to be raising the union profile through talking to students about issues that affect them and showing them what the union can do. Those of you who may have been handed targets for elections turnout or participation by your line managers, this is a great way of promoting involvement. NUS has suggested the following actions to help you give some ideas to your officers and reps, or even to carry out yourself. · Kick-start the Union in 2011 with a week of EMA campaigning - - Use laptops or computer hubs as a base for the union to get students to directly e-mail their MP's - Do a final push for signatures from students, staff, principals, parents etc and take this to your MP's office on Monday next week - Write an article for the local press to both put pressure on your MP's and gain public support. · Nationwide EMA Day - Tuesday 18th January Like the Save EMA day on December 13th last term, this will be a national day of campaigning to further raise the profile and importance of EMA to students and colleges and put further pressure on MP's the day before the vote. - Get creative with campaigning - this doesn't need to be a demo. Set up a flashmob by the college entrance, dance-off for EMA, set up phone interviews with local radio for your officers. - Don’t forget to tell us what you have planned and if you are doing things outside of college, make sure you tell the local police, press and council. · Lobby of Parliament - Wednesday 19th January (Day of the Vote) Meet with local MP's in parliament to do some final lobbying and make sure that students' voices are fresh on their mind when it comes to the vote. Please be aware that this is not a demonstration, but meetings with MP's directly inside parliament. - Call your MP's office and arrange a meeting with them in parliament on Wednesday 19th January (remember to avoid 12-12:30pm as this is Prime Minister's Questions). - Once you have a meeting booked, tell us when and who with via http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/emalobby - Speak to the principal/lecturers and ask them to come down with you to lobby. - You wont be able to take banners or placards in, but you can take a pile of signatures so get your officers petitioning. The Save EMA Campaign is being co-ordinated in partnership with UCU, UNITE, UNISON, ATL, NASUWT and GMB and we are working together to support you in providing advice or resources for your local campaigns to Save EMA. These will shortly be available from www.emacampaign.org.uk. Speak to your own trade union and see what their plans are and if there is a delegation attending the lobby. Thanks again for your continued support. If you've got any questions, please let me know. Many thanks, Gareth