More strikes ahead as teachers in England reject pay offer

The UK’s largest education union, NEU, has announced that teachers in England will go on strike for two days during the summer term, following the rejection of a government pay offer.

The NEU revealed that 98% of its members voted to reject the deal and strike action is scheduled for Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May.

However, the union has confirmed that exam classes will not be disrupted. Joint General Secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney criticised the offer at the NEU conference in Harrogate, stating that it was “unacceptable”, “is not fully funded” and failed to address teacher shortages.

The pay offer included a £1,000 one-off payment this year and a 4.3% increase in pay next year, with starting salaries rising to £30,000 from September.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan warned that the £1,000 payment for this year would be lost if the deal was rejected, and that the decision would be passed back to the pay-review body.

The NEU is now calling on ministers to reopen negotiations on pay.