members of all teaching unions have voted to accept an increased offer of a 6.5% pay rise after the NEU’s campaign of industrial action.
NEU said 86% of members in England who participated in the ballot had voted to accept the deal and end the current wave of industrial action, with a turnout of 60%, while 77.6% of NASUWT members and 85% of NAHT members voted in favour of the pay award.
National Education Union (NEU) teachers in England took strike action over pay again on 5 and 7 July.
Teachers in England took strike action on Tuesday 2 May after members of the UK’s largest education union rejected a pay offer.
National strike took place on Thursday 27 April. The results of the NEU ballot found that 98% of members were in favour of turning the deal down with a 66% turnout.
The National Education Union (NEU) described the offer of £1,000 one-off payment this year, and a 4.3% rise next year, as “insulting” and said it had “united the profession in its outrage”. Speaking at the annual conference in Harrogate, Joint General Secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said the offer was “not fully funded” and did not deal with the shortage of teachers in schools.
English teachers’ pay is falling behind their Welsh and Scottish counterparts.
In its ongoing campaign for a fully-funded, above inflation pay rise, teacher members of the National Education Union in England and Wales and support staff in Wales have voted overwhelmingly for strike action and the ballot has successfully surpassed the restrictive thresholds set by Government for strike action. https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/neu-take-strike-action-over-pay Teachers voted YES by over 90%.
Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretaries of the National Education Union, said: “This is not about a pay rise but correcting historic real-terms pay cuts. Teachers have lost 23% in real-terms since 2010, and support staff 27% over the same period. The average 5% pay rise for teachers this year is some 7% behind inflation. In the midst of a cost of living crisis, that is an unsustainable situation.”
The following constituencies of NEU membership are able to take strike action in pursuance of a fully-funded, above inflation pay rise: teachers in England state-funded schools; teachers in Wales state-funded schools; support staff in Wales state-funded schools; and teachers in sixth form colleges in England.
NEU members took strike action on:
- Wednesday 15 March 2023: all eligible members in England and Wales.
- Thursday 16 March 2023: all eligible members in England and Wales.
- Tuesday 14 February 2023: all eligible members in Wales.
- Tuesday 28 February 2023: all eligible members in the following English regions: Northern, North West, Yorkshire & The Humber.
- Wednesday 1 March 2023: all eligible members in the following English regions: West Midlands, East Midlands, Eastern.
- Thursday 2 March 2023: all eligible members in the following English regions: London, South East, South West.
Despite a massive 90% yes vote for action, fellow education union NASUWT, with a 42% turnout fell short of the imposed 50% voting threshold. In a real indication of the mood of anger, the NAHT who represent headteachers won a mandate to strike in Wales but also had a 42% turnout in England. However, both unions are weighing up whether to re-ballot.
Wednesday 1 February 2023: all eligible members in England and Wales.