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Teachers planning strikes in England | |
(35 minutes later) | |
The two biggest teachers' unions are threatening a national one-day strike in England before Christmas in a row over pay, pensions and workloads. | |
But the NUT and NASUWT have held back from announcing a date and are calling for talks rather than "megaphone diplomacy" with the government. | |
The teachers' unions have given dates in October for their continuing campaign of rolling regional strikes. | |
The Department for Education described the strikes as "disappointing". | |
There will be regional strikes on 1 October in the east of England, the Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside and on 17 October in London, North East, South East and South West. | |
Teachers have accused the government of "reckless and irresponsible behaviour" and say that Mr Gove has refused to engage in meaningful negotiations. | |
But the government has said the walkouts are disruptive to pupils' education. | |
'No choice' | |
Mr Gove wrote to both unions in March to say he was willing to meet them but the "direction of travel" on their key issues was "fixed". | Mr Gove wrote to both unions in March to say he was willing to meet them but the "direction of travel" on their key issues was "fixed". |
Under his reforms, set to come into effect from this autumn, pay will be linked to performance in the classroom and schools will set salaries, rather than follow a national framework. | |
Changes have also been made to public sector pensions. | |
The regional strikes began to take place in June. | |
Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT, said: "At the start of the new academic year, the last thing teachers wish to be doing is preparing for further industrial action. | |
"With pay, pensions and working conditions being systematically attacked and an education secretary who refuses to listen or negotiate teachers now have no other choice." | |
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: "Teachers will be angered by the recklessness of the secretary of state's continuing failure to take seriously their concerns and engage in genuine discussions to address them." | |
The education secretary is due to deliver a speech on the teaching profession later in the day. | |
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "It is disappointing that the NUT and Nasuwt are striking over the government's measures to allow heads to pay good teachers more. | |
"In a recent poll, 61% of respondents supported linking teachers' pay to performance and 70% either opposed the strikes or believed that teachers should not be allowed to strike at all." |