News
UK’s biggest teaching union threatens to strike over pay rise dispute
BREAKING: The union has officially written to the government about inflation-plus pay rises for educators
The UK’s biggest teaching union has threatened strike action over ‘alarmingly low’ wages as it demands an inflation-beating pay rise for teachers.
The National Education Union has written to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, telling him to show school staff they are valued by providing ‘undifferentiated inflation-plus pay rises for all teachers’.
If they have received no sufficient offer by the autumn term, the union will ballot its members on their ‘willingness to take industrial action’.
They said: “The current inaction by the government is causing real damage to education and to our members’ livelihoods.
“We will strongly be encouraging them to vote yes. We can no longer stand by while you run education and educators into the ground.”
Teaching union NASUWT has also called for a 12% pay increase for teachers this year, and said it will ballot members in England, Wales and Scotland for industrial action if its demands are not met.
Responding, the education secretary said: “We have proposed the highest pay awards in a generation for new teachers – 16.7% over the next two years – alongside further pay awards for more experienced teachers and leaders.
“Young people have suffered more disruption to their education than any generation that’s gone before, and it’s the vital work of teachers that is helping them get back on track.
“The last thing I – or any parent – want to see is anything that would risk undoing that progress. We will be considering the pay recommendations from the independent pay review body in due course.”
This comes as strikes not seen since the 1970s grind the country to a halt, with thousands of workers across various sectors set to walk out in protest of inadequate pay rises amid soaring inflation.
Members of the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport) union at Network Rail and thirteen train operators are striking this week to protest job cuts and below-inflation pay rises.
In total, it is estimated that around 40,000 union members will be taking part in the rail strike, making it the largest of its kind in modern history.