PAY DISPUTE update

More national strikes will take place in England on 27 April and 2 May after 98 per cent of members voted to reject the Education Secretary’s insulting and unfunded pay offer.

Talks between education unions and Gillian Keegan, following industrial action in February and March, led to a new offer at the end of March of a £1,000 one-off payment for 2022/23 and an average 4.5 per cent rise for teachers in 2023/24.

But in less than a week, 191,319 members who voted in the union’s ballot turned down the Government’s offer. NEU joint general secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said: “This resounding rejection of the Government’s offer should leave Gillian Keegan in no doubt that she will need to come back to the negotiating table with a much better proposal.”

The results were announced at annual conference and an emergency motion passed. The motion agreed to re-ballot teachers in England from 15 May until the end of July, and to timetable a three-day

I also know lots of our members are striking to get more pay, because they are struggling with just paying their bills at the moment.” venda premkumar came with 150 people from Redbridge, north east London. “It’s a really uplifting feeling to know that you are

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Welsh members vote to accept new OFFER

NEU members in Wales have voted to accept an offer to end their dispute.

Following meaningful negotiations between the NEU and the Welsh Government, a new, fully funded pay offer was put to teacher members and 73 per cent of those who responded voted to accept.

The offer includes an additional three per cent pay award for 2022/23 – 1.5 per cent consolidated and 1.5 per cent non-consolidated (a lump sum). The offer also included an increased pay rise of five per cent paid from September 2023.

strike in late June and early July – dates to be confirmed by the executive.

Phil Clarke from East Sussex said it was the most important decision an NEU conference had ever made: “This is designed to hold members together, to pressure the Government and maintain parental support. Winning the re-ballot and being able to take the action into a general election period – that is real pressure on the Government.”

Emma Rose said the Government’s anti-trade union laws, designed to weaken the movement, had done just the opposite: “We’re more organised, galvanised and stronger as a union than ever before.”

Sister education unions ASCL, NAHT and NASUWT have rejected the offer. ASCL has announced it will ballot for industrial action and the others have indicated they may follow suit.

Cardiff rally

NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “Members in Wales have made a clear decision to accept the pay offer. We would like to thank the Welsh Government for the constructive way in which it has conducted negotiations.

“While this doesn’t meet our ambitions for pay restitution, every part of this offer is due to our members’ efforts. We will continue campaigning for the Governments in Cardiff and Westminster to invest properly in this generation of children and the staff who work with them.”

A SEA of flags, banners and home-made placards filled the streets of central London as 50,000 NEU members demonstrated on 15 March.

The Pay Up – Save our Schools protest took place on the second national day of strike action calling for an above-inflation, fully funded pay rise. Within 48 hours the Government had agreed to “intensive talks” with the NEU and sister education unions.