Teachers demanding higher pay at two-day strike in Blackburn

The first strike is taking place today (July 5) where some teachers will be joining a picket line at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School among others across the county. The next strike will be taking place on Friday, July 7.

These strike days continue the union’s campaign to win a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise.

In early April 2023, a pay and funding offer from Government was rejected by 98 per cent of NEU members on a 66 per cent turnout. A re-ballot of NEU teacher members in state schools opened on May 15 and will close on July 28. 

The Government offered teachers a £1,000 one-off payment for the current school year (2022/23) and an average 4.5 per cent rise for staff next year after intensive talks with the education unions.

But all four education unions rejected the offer and the decision on teachers’ pay in England for next year has been passed to the independent School Teachers’ Review Body.

In May, the Sunday Times reported the STRB has recommended a 6.5 per cent pay rise for teachers but the Government is yet to formally publish the pay review body’s recommendation.

For NEU teacher members in England’s state schools, this week marks their seventh and eighth day of strike action since February 1.

On the eighth strike day (July 7), the union is also holding a festival picnic and have invited teachers, parents and children from across the county to join Picnic in the Park in Avenham Park, Preston from 12pm to 2pm.

Commenting on the days of action, Peter Middleman, NW regional secretary of the NEU, said: “It is with great reluctance that our members are taking further strike action, but teachers have been left with no choice.

“In stark contrast to Wales and Scotland, where settlements were reached months ago, the Government of England is intent on dragging its heels.

“Gillian Keegan has refused to engage and refused to meet with the education unions, in spite of the vast majority of teachers rejecting her initial pay and funding offer at the start of April.

“We want to find a solution but it seems the Government is more interested in political games. Having insisted that we must follow the advice of the School Teachers’ Review Body, Rishi Sunak and his Education Secretary are now saying the opposite.

“It is increasingly likely that the recommendations of the STRB for 2023/24, delivered to Keegan weeks ago, will not be followed. It is believed that the review body has recommended a 6.5 per cent rise for teachers but she intends to suppress this unpalatable report until the end of term. 

“In moving the goalposts, the Government is infuriating teachers and letting pupils down.

“There is a crisis in education. Schools and colleges are haemorrhaging staff, and those who remain are having to work unacceptably high numbers of additional hours in return for pay which continues to worsen in value.

“The Government's latest teacher census shows that a third have left the sector within five years of qualifying. They are missing their own training targets as a matter of routine, and teacher vacancies are up by 55 per cent in just 12 months.

“The Government’s latest position is to let this continue, and to deliver yet another real-terms pay cut upon teachers.

“Gillian Keegan and Rishi Sunak should be aware that our dispute is not fading away. Members of the NEU are voting right now in a re-ballot, to extend our campaign into the autumn if no resolution on pay and funding is reached with Government. Education unions ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders), NAHT (school leaders’ union) and NASUWT (teaching union) are also balloting members on the same issues for strike action in the autumn term.

“This is not a good climate for Rishi Sunak to reject the review bodies after months of hiding behind them. It will simply embolden teachers to vote for further strike action.

“Gillian Keegan can avert strike action by publishing the STRB report and restart talks to find a serious solution to the dispute.”