Thousands of schools across England, Scotland and Wales are facing further disruption this week as teachers go on strike again over pay. Teachers will strike on different days depending on which union they are in. Three consecutive days of regional action will start in England on Tuesday – the same day as strikes in Scotland. More than half of schools in England closed or partially closed in the first National Education Union (NEU) strike on 1 February.
When are NEU Teachers Striking?
England and Wales
Further NEU strikes are scheduled for:
28 February: North and north-west England, Yorkshire and Humber
1 March: East Midlands, West Midlands, and the NEU’s eastern region
2 March: All schools in Wales (postponed from 14 Feb), as well as south-east and south-west England, and London
15 and 16 March: All schools in England and Wales
NEU teachers in sixth-form colleges in England are due to join the walkouts.
The Department for Education (DfE) said it wanted “formal talks on pay, conditions and reform”, ahead of the latest strike days – but only if the NEU called them off.
The NEU said it would only pause strike action if good progress was made in talks first.
The strike originally planned in Wales for 14 February was postponed to allow the union to consult members on an improved pay offer from the Welsh government, which the NEU later rejected.
‘Deciding to close our school has been horrible’
Northern Ireland
NEU members joined three other unions in a half-day walk out on 21 February.
When are the EIS and other unions teachers striking?
Wales
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) began action short of a strike on 1 February.
Scotland
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and two other unions are walking out again on 28 February and 1 March.
The EIS will hold 20 further strike days between 13 March and 21 April.
The young Scottish teachers demanding better pay
Northern Ireland
Most teachers in Northern Ireland walked out for half a day on 21 February.
Five unions were already taking action short of a strike.
What are teachers’ pay demands?
Unions are calling for above-inflation increases, and want schools to get extra money to ensure pay rises do not come from existing budgets.
Teacher salaries in England fell by an average of 11% between 2010 and 2022, after taking rising prices into account, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says.
Most state-school teachers in England and Wales had a 5% rise in 2022. Teachers in Wales rejected a recent offer of an extra 1.5% pay rise, plus an additional one-off payment of 1.5%.
In Northern Ireland many teachers were offered 3.2% for 2021/22 and 2022/23.
In Scotland, teachers rejected a 5% increase and a subsequent offer of up to 6.85%. The government has since proposed a 6% pay rise in the current year and a further 5.5% in the new financial year, which starts in April. The EIS welcomed the proposals, which it is considering.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan says the government has already agreed to provide an extra £2bn in school funding in England, “which will take real-terms spending on schools to its highest level in history”.
The government is proposing a 3% pay rise for most teachers in 2023/24 – but the NEU says this is not enough.
Source: BBC News