Teachers Begin Strike In England Over Pay Rise

Teachers under the aegis of the National Education Union (NEU) are embarking on the sixth national strike this year in England.

Many schools in England are closing on Wednesday, as teachers walk out again over pay and another one is scheduled for Friday.

According to BBC, all lessons and end-of-term events such as sports day, concerts and school trips could be disrupted.

And with more strike ballots taking place, schools are bracing for further disruption in the new school year.

It has been more than five months since teachers boycotted classrooms which brought about a 5% pay rise for the year 2022-23.

This time they are calling for above-inflation increases, plus additional money to ensure any pay rises do not come from schools’ existing budgets.

According to reports from England, there are no talks underway between the unions and the Department for Education (DfE), and there is no obvious resolution in sight. There have been deadlocks in recent months.

After intensive talks in March, the government offered teachers an additional one-off payment of £1,000. It also offered a 4.3% pay rise for most teachers next year – with starting salaries reaching £30,000.

The NEU, and three other unions involved in the dispute, rejected the offer – which means the one-off payment is now off the table.

As schools returned for the summer term, all four announced they would join forces to coordinate any future strike action.