UK: More STRIKES: Now it’s teachers who could be on strike as soon as Wednesday

The National Education Union (NEU) said it is prepared to ballot its 460,000 members if it does not receive a pay offer closer to inflation by Wednesday, June 22.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: “An initial ballot would be taken to gauge reactions, and that a second ballot specifically on industrial action is possible.”

National Teachers Union (NASUWT) leaders have also called for a 12 per cent 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.

“A pay award for 2022/23 is due in November. Two in three teachers are questioning whether to change careers due to wages, and the value of teachers’ pay has dropped by 20 per cent” NASUWT said.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said: “The country faces an existential emergency for the future of the teaching profession.”

“Teachers are suffering, not only from the cost-of-living crisis, which the whole country is grappling with but 12 years of real-terms pay cuts which have left a 20 per cent shortfall in the value of their salaries.”

“If the Government and the pay review body reject a positive programme of restorative pay awards for teachers, then we will be asking our members whether they are prepared to take national industrial action in response.”

“The Government wrongly assumed teachers would simply stand by as they erode pay and strip our education system to the bone.”

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