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Teachers one step closer to going on strike in Great Britain | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Teachers are one step closer to going on strike in Great Britain after rejecting a 5% pay rise offer. | |
The largest union for England and Wales, the NEU, said 86% of its members who responded to an initial ballot said they were willing to strike. | The largest union for England and Wales, the NEU, said 86% of its members who responded to an initial ballot said they were willing to strike. |
The NEU and a smaller union, NASUWT, which also covers Scotland, are both launching formal strike ballots. | |
Both have previously said the government's offer does not address the cost-of-living pressures on teachers. | |
Education is one of many sectors grappling with action over pay. Railway workers and Royal Mail staff are among those walking out. | Education is one of many sectors grappling with action over pay. Railway workers and Royal Mail staff are among those walking out. |
Why is everyone going on strike? | Why is everyone going on strike? |
Pay offer risks school funding crisis - teachers | |
The starting salary for teachers in England is due to rise to £30,000 a year by September 2023, as part of a promise that was made during the 2019 election which became delayed by the pandemic. | |
The pay of more experienced teachers in England - who make up most of the workforce - has seen the biggest squeeze over the past decade, falling by 8% in real terms between 2007 and 2021, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. | |
The NEU said it would announce a timetable for a formal ballot and potential strike dates in the coming week. | |
It said the results of a preliminary online ballot of its members in England and Wales showed support for a formal ballot, with 98% of respondents saying they wanted a "fully funded, above-inflation pay rise", and 86% saying they would vote yes to strike action to demand the rise. | |
Joint general secretaries Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said the results were "a clear statement from teachers that they cannot go on like this". | |
"Our members don't want to strike - they want to be in the classroom, doing what they do best, educating the nation's children," they said. | |
"It is regrettable that we have reached this point, but enough is enough." | |
The Department for Education has not yet responded to a request for comment. | |
Members of NASUWT in England, Scotland and Wales will receive ballot papers from 27 October, and voting will close on 9 January. | |
The union, which wants a fully-funded real-terms pay award of 12%, said it was recommending that members vote in favour of industrial action. | |
The last national dispute over teachers' pay was in 2008. |