Teachers in England have overwhelmingly rejected a “final” pay offer from the government and announced further strike action, prolonging a fight over pay and workload at English schools.
The National Education Union, England’s largest teaching union, on Monday announced that 98 per cent of its members had voted to reject an offer of an average 4.5 per cent pay rise next year, and £1,000 bonus on top of a 5 per cent increase this year. Turnout was 66 per cent.
The decision sets the stage for a stand-off between the union and the government as widespread industrial action over pay in England grinds on, despite agreement on wage increases in some sectors, such as health.
Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, last week indicated the Department for Education would not return to pay negotiations if the government’s offer, which was made last week after days of negotiations, was rejected.
Government officials also said the offer of a £1,000 bonus would be withdrawn and that a decision on next year’s pay would revert to an independent review body, which could decide on a lower wage rise.
However, Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said the “resounding rejection” should leave Keegan “in no doubt that she will need to come back to the negotiating table with a much better proposal”.
The union also announced further strike dates, on April 27 and May 2. It has already walked out on six days during the past two months.
The upcoming strike action could be especially disruptive for pupils as it takes place in the run-up to crucial examinations. The union said it would work with headteachers to ensure pupils due to take exams would have a “full programme of education” on strike days.
“No teacher wants to be on strike. Nor can they accept this offer that does nothing to address the decades of below inflation pay increases,” said Courtney and Bousted.
They added that the government’s offer fell short of pay deals that ended strikes in Scotland and Wales, and was not fully funded, so would entail cuts to spending in other areas for some schools.
“The education secretary has united the profession in its outrage at this insulting pay offer,” they said.
Keegan said it was “extremely disappointing” that the NEU had called more strike action, which she said would “result in more disruption for children and less money for teachers today”.
She said the pay offer was “funded, including major new investment of over half a billion pounds, in addition to the record funding already planned for school budgets”.
