The National Education Union (NEU), the largest education union in the UK, announced that 98% of its members were in favour of turning the deal down in a recent ballot. The strike action is scheduled to take place on Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May.
The government’s pay offer was aimed at providing a £1,000 one-off payment this year and a 4.3% rise next year. Additionally, starting salaries would rise to £30,000 from September. This was seen as a reasonable offer by the government, but not by the NEU. Speaking at the NEU conference in Harrogate, Joint General Secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said the offer was “unacceptable”, “is not fully funded”, and it did not deal with the shortage of teachers in schools.
The result of the ballot, with a 66% voter turnout, has shown a decisive stance against the government’s offer. While the UK government has previously stated that the offer was “fair and reasonable,” teachers feel that it fails to address the crisis that is currently being faced in schools across the country.
One of the key issues that teachers are concerned about is the shortage of teachers in schools. This has been an ongoing problem for some time now, with many schools struggling to find qualified teachers to fill vacancies. The government’s pay offer, which set starting salaries at £30,000, was an attempt to make teaching a more attractive profession. However, this is unlikely to have a significant impact on the shortage of teachers in schools unless it is followed by a sustained investment in the education system.
The government’s proposal was also seen by the NEU as not fully funded. There has been a consistent underfunding in education in recent years, which has resulted in cuts to school budgets and resources. The NEU believes that this has led to a decrease in the quality of education that is being provided to students across the country, and that until the funding issue is addressed, teachers will continue to struggle with the demands of their job.
The announced strike action will have an impact on schools across the country. However, the NEU has assured that exam classes will not be interrupted during this time.
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