As part of a “united front” by the four education unions in England, teachers could begin the largest strikes in ten years starting in September, according to the incoming leader of the largest union.
In his maiden interview after being chosen as the new General Secretary of National Education Union (NEU), Daniel Kebede warned that, Rishi Sunak’s attempts to reject the findings of an independent pay evaluation panel, has provoked dissatisfaction among teachers and called for additional strikes. Kebede will begin his duties in August.
In an ongoing salary controversy, members of the NEU are getting ready to walk out today and Friday. All four education unions are withdrawing their members and additional strike actions are schedule in the autumn.
“What strike action looks like depends very much on the government. But it won’t just be our union with a strike ballot, there will also be head teachers’ unions and the prospect of the NASUWT taking action on strike ballots in thousands of schools across the country. This government could be faced with the very real prospect of a united front demanding a change of course.”
Daniel Kebede, Incoming Gen. Sec. of National Education Union.
However, Sunak and the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, according to Kebede, would quenched future strike actions, by making the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) findings public. The report is claimed to have proposed a 6.5% salary raise for teachers.
According to reports, Sunak and other Ministers are considering disapproving public sector pay assessments, if they believe them to be “unaffordable” and inflated.
“We have the prime minister now advising that he’s going to amend the pay review body awards of two and a half million workers not just teachers but also soldiers, prison officers and other public servants and amend them down. That’s a big problem for us, as union and as a profession, because pay is a key issue in the recruitment and retention crisis. The fact is that we can’t recruit and retain teachers, and pay is one reason why that is happening. We are in a fight to save comprehensive education. Rishi Sunak might think education is expensive but we don’t have to try the cost of ignorance, do we?”
Daniel Kebede, Incoming Gen. Sec. of National Education Union.
Moreover, the Department of Education and the unions concluded their negotiations in March, with the NEU, NASUWT, National Association of Head Teachers, and Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), all resoundingly declining the government’s offer of a 4.3% pay increase and a £1,000 one-time payment.
Since then, the government has declined to resume negotiations. Secretary Keegan stated that, ministers will wait for the STRB’s proposals before presenting another salary proposal for the 2023–24 academic year. Other reports claim that, Secretary Keegan has been handed over the findings.
“Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers, recognizing their incredible work and commitment. Thousands of schools received significant additional funding as part of the extra £2bn of investment we are providing both this year and next. As a result, school funding will be at its highest level in history next year, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.”
A Department for Education spokesperson .
Due to the NEU’s strikes this week, several English schools will stay closed for a total of eight days this year. However, Kebede has justified the late-summer strikes as vital to curb the departure of teachers.
“The fact of the matter is that we had nearly 10% of the profession leave teaching last year. If that happened in a private sector company, it would grind to a halt. A million children are being taught in classes of over 31 pupils or more, OECD data is showing that the pupil to teacher ratio in British primary schools are the fourth highest after Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. There is a real crisis, and the fact that strikes are happening at this time of year shows just how strongly our profession is feeling.”
Daniel Kebede, Incoming Gen. Sec. of National Education Union.
