SEVEN out of 10 teachers favour a merger of the main classroom unions to create a “super union”, an exclusive poll for The TES reveals today.

The survey of 1,000 teachers gives overwhelming support to a move that is high on the agenda at the Easter union conferences.

Its findings will supply ammunition to the leaders of the National Union of Teachers, the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, who back a merger.

Ministers and the TUC are also understood to be in favour of a single union for classroom teachers.

But some NASUWT members are demanding that Eamonn O’Kane, the incoming general secretary, who wrote a paper supporting the idea, should be sacked.

The TES poll reveals the strongest support for a merger within the NUT, traditionally the most militant union but riven with factions. Four out of five of its members favour merger compared to 70 per cent of the NASUWT, the second biggest union, and 52 per cent of the traditionally moderate ATL.

Secondary teachers were marginally keener on a single union (74 per cent) than primary staff ( 67 per cent). The unity call was strongest in London, with almost eight out of 10 teachers backing a merger, compared to only half in East Anglia.

Older teachers, and men, were most keen to see a single union. The idea was least popular with those aged 30 to 39.

The big three represent some 730,000 teachers or nearly 10 per cent of the country’s trade union membership. Their combined annual income is almost pound;44 million.

The single union call comes as Nigel de Gruchy retires as the NASUWT general secretary. Doug McAvoy will quit the top job at the NUT in 2004, and Peter Smith’s term ends at the ATL in 2005 Leaders of the three unions will meet TUC general secretary John Monks in April to dicuss a timetable for merger or federation. The move was disclosed by Mr Smith at the ATL’s conference in Cardiff this week. He said: “I think there is a mood for a wind of change.” He added that the time-scale for a decision would be “quite short”.

The unions are already united over workload with all threatening to ballot for action on a 35-hour week if education loses out in the comprehensive spending review.

Most teachers are members of a trade union. Only 34 of the teachers questioned for The TES by FDS International earlier this month did not belong to a union.

Of the 1,000 teachers polled, 386 or 39 per cent were NUT members; 31 per cent were members of the NASUWT; 17 per cent were ATL members; 9 per cent were members of a headteachers’ union; 1 per cent were members of the Professional Association of Teachers, which is not in favour of merging.

Analysis, 22-23