Striking teachers will be ‘unforgivable’ in wake of Covid disruption, says union warning of industrial action
- Nadim Zhawi said such a move would be ‘irresponsible’ in the wake of Covid-19 and the impact it had on children’s studies being limited during the lockdown.
- He said, ‘Youth faced more disruption than the generations before them’
- The NEU said it would consult its members in the autumn and strongly encourage strikes.
- Union said pay cuts and high workloads are affecting recruitment and retention
Teachers going on strike will be ‘unforgivable’, the education secretary has said, as the largest teachers’ union has warned of industrial action over wages and workload.
The National Education Union (NEU) said it would consult with its members in the autumn to “strongly encourage” them to support industrial action if the government does not respond to their concerns over the next few months.
The union said pay cuts and high workloads are affecting teacher recruitment and retention, causing a “real loss” to education.
But Education Secretary Nadim Jahvi said such a move would be “irresponsible” in view of the turmoil in children’s education due to the pandemic.
Teachers going on strike will be ‘unforgivable’, Education Secretary Nadim Jahvi (pictured in Downing Street this week) has said, as the largest teachers union warns of industrial action on pay and workload
written by mr jahvi Daily Telegraph: ‘Young people have suffered more disruption than any generation that preceded them.
‘And to say that now, as recovery is in full swing and families are contemplating their next big step after school or college, would be unforgivable and unfair.’
The NEU criticized the government’s evidence for a school teachers review body proposing a 3 per cent pay increase for most teachers in England, based on Wednesday’s inflation figure of 9.1% on the CPI There will be a ‘huge’ pay cut. 11.7% for Measure and RPI.
The deputy general secretary at NEU, Niamh Sweeney, told Sky News that the teachers’ strike was ‘more likely than what I’ve worked in my 20 years of profession’.
‘Teachers are telling us that they are finding it difficult to reach the end of the month, their heating bills and their fuel bills mean they are struggling to survive’.
In a letter to Mr Jahvi, the union called for measures to reduce the workload, including a fully funded inflation for all teachers, as well as wage hikes for other employees such as support staff. .
The minister was told that teachers’ salaries have declined in real terms by a fifth since 2010, even before this year’s inflation spiked, while their workload remained at ‘floating’ levels.
The letter said: ‘Teacher wages have declined in real terms as well as earnings relative to inflation. ‘The average teacher salary is at its lowest relative to average earnings in the economy in more than 40 years.
‘Teachers and school leaders often tell us that the workload is their prime concern. ‘But right now, our members are telling us that salary is also a big issue.
‘The combination of fluctuating hours, the intensity of work during those hours and steadily falling pay levels is hurting our schools and the youth we are educating.
‘Teachers are looking at their working hours and their pay and calculating hourly rates, which are dangerously low. ‘The latest teacher training figures are very worrying; There has been a drop of 24 per cent in applications as compared to last year.
One in eight newly qualified teachers quit in their first year of teaching. ‘These young people have often completed a degree, then a postgraduate qualification.
‘They are a great loss to the profession, but more importantly to the students of the country who rely on their teachers to educate and take care of them.
‘You must respond to the new economic reality of double-digit inflation and the threat to teacher living standards. We call on you to commit to inflation and growth for all teachers.
The National Education Association said it would consult its members in the autumn, ‘strongly encourage’ them to support industrial action
‘Proposing only high growth for early teachers (which itself is likely to be lower than inflation) is not enough.
‘The current inaction of the government on these questions is causing real damage to education and the livelihood of our members.
‘We must tell you that in the autumn period, if you fail to take adequate action, we will consult our members on their willingness to take industrial action. ‘And we would strongly encourage them to vote yes.
‘We cannot stand until you field both education and teachers.’
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