The education secretary will write to the body that makes recommendations on teacher pay rises “shortly”, the government has confirmed.
Following today’s budget announcement, Justine Greening is now free to write to the School Teachers Review Body about its remit for next year’s pay award.
Every year, the STRB receives a “remit letter” from the education secretary, setting out how large a pay-rise it can recommend.
The government decided earlier this year to lift the one-per-cent cap on pay rises for public sector employees that has been in place since 2011.
The Treasury now says that Greening and other members “will be able to consider appropriate pay awards depending on workforce needs and resources”.
“Ministers will shortly issue remit letters to the relevant pay review bodies to begin the pay round process for 2018-19 departments and organisations outside of government (such as unions) will submit workforce specific evidence,” it said.
The STRB’s recommendations will be considered next spring, and will inform pay awards “which will need to be fair to both workers and taxpayers”.
Although lifting the cap has been welcomed by unions, they are likely to be disappointed that additional funding to cover pay rises was not included in today’s budget announcement.
Unions had called for a five-per-cent pay rise for teachers from 2018, along with the cash to implement it.
The government has previously admitted that it costs the schools community around £250 million just to implement a one-per-cent rise.
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