INDUSTRIAL action by teachers in all four of the relevant unions has been called to an end following a pay deal between educators and the government.
It follows months of disputes with the government over conditions and pay, during which the NEU took part a week’s worth of national strikes and a day of regional action since February.
Now the NEU, NAHT, and NASUWT have agreed to a 6.5% pay rise, following the ASCL union’s acceptance of the offer last month.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed the deal as a “big moment,” and education secretary described the agreement as “good news.”
However Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, said that the deal was “not all that we wanted,” despite the achievement, and that the union would continue to campaign for better funding and conditions.
The BBC reports that most state school teachers received a 5% rise in pay for 2022/2023, which many argued was not in line with inflation.
Unions previously lodged concerns that pay deals were not properly funded, with the money coming from pre-existing school budgets, and still have concerns about working and learning conditions to be addressed.
The pay deal which has been agreed is in line with the School Teachers’ Review Body recommendations, and comes as part of a pay offer to a number of public sector rises put forward by the government.
Police officers, doctors, and prison officers were among those offered rises of between 5% and 7%, after the government said it would raise more than £1bn through significant increases in charges and health levies for migrants.
It also follows teaching unions in Scotland accepting a pay rise in March.
Katie Gumbrell, media secretary for Reading NEU said:”We welcome an end to the current strike action and look forward to the extra funding promised to schools by government.
“However, there is uncertainty whether schools in Reading will have sufficient reserves to meet this pay deal, as well as their spiralling energy costs, without making cuts elsewhere.
“It remains to be seen whether the current pay deal will alleviate the recruitment and retention crisis in teaching.”
She continued: “We look forward to hearing tangible progress on tackling teacher workload and the complete reform of the unacceptable Ofsted process.
“Parents and carers in Reading have been so supportive throughout this period of strike action and we want to keep working together for the good of Reading’s children.”
Alison McNamara, Branch Secretary for Reading Branch of the NEU said: “Teachers in the NEU, through submissions to the pay review process, through taking strike action, and through a reballot to continue strike action have forced a major government shift on pay and on schools funding.
She explained: “Members have voted to accept for now what is the highest pay offer for 30 years, whilst retaining the view that funding for schools and colleges remains inadequate.
“Continuing improvement will be needed to address systemic problems with recruitment and retention, including real-terms cuts in pay.”
“The ballot of our members on the pay offer ran in parallel with a re-ballot on industrial action which successfully cleared the restrictive threshold for action and demonstrated an overwhelming 95% majority in favour of further action if required.”
She also explained that whilst acceptance of the current offer means that action over the 2023-24 pay deal will now not go ahead in the Autumn term, “many issues remain on workload and funding for schools and colleges.
“The NEU will be vigilant in defending members’ rights on issues like workload and jobs, ensuring the government lives up to recent commitments, and is committed to campaigning for teacher pay and for a better funded education system.”
