…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
Teachers in England have gone on strike on Thursday, April 27th and Tuesday, May 2nd, after rejecting the government’s latest offer.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan had previously said that the rejection would “result in more disruption for children and less money for teachers today”.
The National Education Union (NEU) members voted to reject the deal, which offered a one-off payment of £1,000 this year and a 4.3% pay rise in 2024.
They were also guaranteed starting salaries of £30,000 from September.
In a recent ballot, 98% of NEU members who voted chose to reject the deal.
Strike exemptions are in place for vulnerable children and children in Years 6, 11, and 13 who were preparing for exams.
The union has said that they will not announce further strike days while talks are ongoing.
However, as the government has refused to enter negotiations, the NEU has revealed new strike dates.
In previous strike action taken by the NEU, 47% of all schools in England were open during strikes, but restricting attendance, with 6% fully closed over two days.
The NEU members want a pay rise of 12%, whereas the government has offered an increase of only 5%.
The union argues that teachers’ pay has fallen by 24% since 2010 due to inflation.
They have stated that they would consider a pay rise of 9% if the government fully funds it.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) wants pay increases, progress on school funding, workloads, and recruitment and retention processes.
For every day a member of teaching staff strikes, they will lose money from their monthly pay cheque.
While some unions may provide sustentation payments or hardship funds for those taking part in strikes, the NEU has said that it will not be doing so.
A Department for Education spokesperson said that “strike action is simply not a reasonable solution”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “extremely disappointed” with the actions of the NEU teaching union.
The NEU joint general secretaries Dr. Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney have said that “this situation cannot go on”.