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Al Jazeera English1 min read
Teachers in England to vote on striking over pay
TL;DR
Teachers and support staff in England will vote on a potential strike over government pay recommendations. The National Education Union criticizes the proposed 6.5% pay increase as insufficient amid rising inflation.
Key points
- Teachers and support staff in England will vote on a strike.
- The NEU criticizes the 6.5% pay increase as insufficient.
- The ballot will occur in the autumn if no urgent action is taken.
- The government calls the NEU's announcement extremely disappointing.
- Inflation concerns are heightened due to the Iran war.
Mentioned in this story
National Education UnionDepartment for Education
Teachers and school support staff in England will vote on whether or not to go on strike if the government stands by its pay recommendation for the next academic year.
The National Education Union (NEU), England's largest teaching union, says it will hold a formal ballot in the autumn if the government "does not take urgent action".
The government has recommended a 6.5% pay award spread over the next three years, but the NEU has said that is unlikely to match inflation and called it an "insult".
The Department for Education said the NEU's announcement was "extremely disappointing", saying it would be children and parents that "pay the price" for any strike action.
The NEU wants the pay offer for teachers to be above inflation, which has risen following the start of the Iran war.
The Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation was 3.3% in the year to March, but the Bank of England warned it could increase still further this year following a "significant energy price shock".
The teaching union also wants the government to fully fund pay rises so schools do not have to find money for them in existing budgets - and says the current recommendation is not enough.
NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said "no member wants to be taking strike action", but pay and workload issues had fuelled a "recruitment and retention crisis that is directly impacting" education.
"Unfunded below-inflation pay increases are an insult. The government is well aware that schools do not have the money to fund them," he said.
"To avoid this collision course the government needs to step up and deliver the properly funded education system our children and young people deserve."
A Department for Education (DfE) spokeswoman said: "Ultimately, it will be children, young people and hard-working parents who will pay the price for any industrial action.
"We've taken action to restore teaching as the highly valued profession it should be including boosting pay, and tackling poor pupil behaviour, high workload, and poor wellbeing so more teachers stay on in the profession and thrive."
Each year, the independent School Teachers Review Body (STRB) receives submissions about pay from the government, unions and others. It then makes recommendations to ministers, who ultimately decide how much to award.
The DfE's submission proposed a 6.5% pay award over 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29, with "the level of awards weighted towards the latter part".
It said higher awards in the last two years would give schools more time to "plan for changes to their operations, provisions or staffing".
Q&A
What is the reason for the teachers' strike vote in England?
Teachers are voting on a strike due to dissatisfaction with the government's proposed 6.5% pay increase, which they believe does not keep pace with inflation.
When will the National Education Union hold the ballot for the strike?
The National Education Union plans to hold a formal ballot in the autumn if the government does not take urgent action regarding pay.
How does the proposed pay increase compare to inflation in England?
The proposed 6.5% pay increase is considered by the NEU to be inadequate as it is unlikely to match the current inflation rate.
What has the Department for Education said about the potential strike?
The Department for Education expressed disappointment over the NEU's announcement, stating that children and parents would suffer the consequences of any strike action.
