The country\u2019s biggest education union will consult members on industrial action this autumn if the government fails to make an \u201cinflation-plus\u201d pay increase for teachers.<\/p>\n
In a letter to Nadhim Zahawi \u2013 seen by The Independent \u2013 the joint general secretaries of the National Education Union (NEU), warn they will not stand by \u201cwhile you run both education and educators into the ground\u201d.<\/p>\n
It comes amid the biggest industrial strike on the rail network for decades and figures showing UK inflation hitting a fresh 40 year high, climbing 9.1 per cent in the 12 months to May \u2014 up from 9 per cent in April.<\/p>\n
In their correspondence with the education secretary on Wednesday, NEU general secretaries Kevin Courtney and Mary Bousted claimed that teachers\u2019 pay has fallen by a fifth in real terms since 2010.<\/p>\n
As the union awaits a report from the School Teachers\u2019 Review Body (STRB), which makes recommendations on pay, they said: \u201cWe call on you to commit to an inflation-plus increase for all teachers.<\/p>\n
\u201cA clear and unambiguous signal that educators are valued, with undifferentiated inflation-plus pay increase for all teachers, is urgently needed. And you must fund schools accordingly\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a clear warning, they continued: \u201cThe current inaction from the government on these questions is causing real damage to education and to our members\u2019 livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to tell you that failing sufficient action by you, in the autumn term, we will consult our members on their willingness to take industrial action.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we will be strongly encouraging them to vote yes. We can no longer stand by while you run both education and educators into the ground.<\/p>\n
It is understood any action would first involve an indicative ballot in the autumn term – and could lead to a formal ballot on strike action among teachers across the country.<\/p>\n
The letter comes after Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, insisted the government must take a \u201cfirm line\u201d and \u201cwin\u201d the argument against unions, or risk a \u201cvicious cycle\u201d of rising wages pushing inflation even higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really do understand the pressure that those on low incomes are facing at the moment, they are struggling to make ends meet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Setting out why public sector pay could not keep pace with inflation, he added: \u201cIf we don\u2019t have those restraints, inflation will go higher for longer. And that will only undermine the pay packages of workers, particularly the most vulnerable workers, for a longer period of time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re taking the action, we\u2019re taking a firm line with, for example, the RMT union, precisely because we want to protect this erosion of pay packets by inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The country\u2019s biggest education union will consult members on industrial action this autumn if the government fails to make an \u201cinflation-plus\u201d pay increase for teachers. In a letter to Nadhim Zahawi \u2013 seen by The Independent \u2013 the joint general secretaries of the National Education Union (NEU), warn they will not stand by \u201cwhile you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n