Teachers in England and Wales are voting to strike in February and March over a row over pay

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The first national strike will take place in February and will affect 23,400 schools in England and Wales, Sarah Corker reports.

Teachers in England and Wales will strike for seven days in February and March respectively over pay.

Teaching staff at the National Education Union (NEU) in England and Wales, and support staff in Wales, voted overwhelmingly to strike to correct “historic pay cuts in real terms”, the union said.

The Department for Education (DfE) has offered a 5% pay rise to most teachers for the current academic year, but the university is demanding that the above-inflation salary increase be fully funded for teachers.

While the federation announces a seven-day strike pattern over the next two months, the individual school will be affected by only four of them as it will be divided regionally.

The first national strike will take place on Wednesday 1 February and will affect 23,400 schools in England and Wales. The penultimate day of the strike coincides with the budget.

Teachers in England and Wales voted to strike in February and March over a dispute over pay. Credit: ITV News

The union said teachers have lost 23% in real terms since 2010, and support staff 27% over the same period.

Mary Boustead and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the National Education Federation said.

Dr Mary Boustead, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, says teachers have lost nearly a quarter of their paychecks since 2010 and warns of a “manpower crisis” in schools.

School leaders in Wales are also set to take industrial action on wages and finance, but head teachers in England will not stage strikes after the National Teachers Union failed to meet the legal limit.

NAHT said it would consider reintroducing industrial strike balloting in England due to the postal disruption.

Teacher members of England’s sixth form colleges, who have already been voted out and taken to strike in recent months, will also these days take action in a separate dispute.

Dr Boustead told ITV News that almost all schools in England and Wales will be affected to some degree.

The Department of Education said agency staff and volunteers could be used to cover classes on strike days, with schools expected to remain open where possible.

The Education Department said distance learning was also an option for schools that have to restrict attendance.

She said children who are entitled to free school meals and who are being taught remotely in such cases should be provided with a “good quality lunch parcel”.

She said that many schools would be closed completely, while others would be partially closed on strike days.

“The poll is the result of the failure of the Foreign Secretary in England and employers in Wales to ensure that sufficient funds are available to pay for a fully funded increase in teachers’ salaries which is at least proportional to inflation, and which begins to restore lost wages,” NEU said.

Support staff in Wales also voted to strike.

The NEU said they had met with the Education Minister, Gillian Keegan, but there had been no “specific proposals on salaries for teachers or support staff”.

Ms Keegan said the vote to strike teachers was “disappointing” and “would have a detrimental effect on the education and well-being of pupils”.

“Talks with union leaders are ongoing and any strike by a union would have a detrimental effect on the education and welfare of pupils, especially after the turmoil that has occurred over the past two years,” said the education minister. “We have already met the unions’ request for an additional £2 billion in school funding, which would take real spending on schools to the highest level in history.”

In England, 90.44% of teachers voted to strike on a turnout of 53.27%. In Wales, a majority of 92.28% voted for industrial action on a turnout of 58.07%.

When will the strike days begin?

Wednesday 1 February 2023: All eligible NEU members in England and Wales.

Tuesday 14th February 2023: All eligible members in Wales.

Tuesday 28th February 2023: All eligible members in the following English regions: North, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber.

Wednesday 1 March 2023: All eligible members in the following English regions: East Midlands, West Midlands and Eastern.

Thursday 2 March 2023: All eligible members in the following English regions: London, South East and South West.

Wednesday 15 March 2023: All eligible members in England and Wales.

Thursday 16th March 2023: All eligible members in England and Wales.

Dr Boustead told ITV News: “We need the government to recognize that teachers cannot take their pay cuts the way they have been cut over the past 12 years.

Teachers experienced one of the lowest pay increases of all occupational groups.

Teachers have lost nearly a quarter of their salaries in real terms since 2010.

“We have a teacher recruitment crisis. The recruitment rate for teacher training is 23% lower this year than it was last year.

“The government has only hired just over half of the secondary school teachers it needs.

“Teachers are leaving the profession in droves — a third within five years, 40% within 10 years.”

She acknowledged that strikes would be disabling for students, and that the current “manpower crisis” meant that pupils were doing GCSEs and A-levels without qualified teachers to teach them.

“Life in schools and access to qualified teachers – who are qualified in the subjects they teach – for students and young people is precarious in many schools.

“There comes a time when the profession has to stand up and make this clear to the government. I’m sure parents will recognize the picture I paint.”

Teachers in the Isle of Man formed a picket line outside St Ninian’s High School in Douglas. Credit: ITV Granada Reports

On Monday, Ms Keegan told the House of Commons that she plans to meet education union leaders later this week. “We will continue to call on teachers not to strike given that we know the great damage has been done to children’s education during the pandemic, which is certainly not something we want to repeat,” the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said. We hope they continue to do so. To discuss their concerns with us rather than withdraw education from children.”

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We understand and respect the sentiments expressed in this ballot to strike today.

“The Welsh Minister for Education and Language will meet with the teaching and head teachers unions later this week to discuss the outcome of the ballot.” Last week, schools across Scotland were closed as members of the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS), NASUWT, Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) and AHDS went on strike. Schoolchildren in Scotland will miss more lessons this week as EIS members begin a 16-day rolling strike on Monday.

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