Teacher strikes

Pausing strikes for pay talks is in best interests of teachers and pupils

Writing exclusively for Schools Week, education secretary Gillian Keegan urged the NEU to follow the lead of health unions

Writing exclusively for Schools Week, education secretary Gillian Keegan urged the NEU to follow the lead of health unions

10 Mar 2023, 16:57

We all have a teacher who changed our lives. In my case it was an engineering and technical drawing teacher called Mr Ashcroft, but my story is only one of the millions out there.

Teachers change and shape our lives. 

It might be helping a child finally get to grips with a complex maths equation or introducing them to a book that opens up a whole new world. Often though, it’s simply giving a young person the confidence and belief that if they work hard, they can achieve whatever they put their mind to.

They teach the lessons of today, at the same time as inspiring the class – the future generation – of tomorrow.

That’s why we truly value the work teachers do – and want them to feel both rewarded and supported in this vital role. Putting an end to the current dispute between the government and teaching unions sits head and shoulders above anything else in my in-tray at the moment.

That’s why over two weeks ago, I made an offer to the National Education Union to move our talks into formal negotiations over teacher pay and workload. That offer covered pay for this year and pay for next year, as well as conditions and broader reforms. The offer was made on the condition the NEU paused the strike action they had planned, to give space for considered talks, in good faith.

Putting an end to the current dispute sits head and shoulders above anything else in my in-tray

The offer the government made to the NEU was the same as the one made to the unions representing nurses, ambulance workers and physiotherapists, all of whom are currently representing their members in intensive talks.

Although to date my offer has been rejected, I want to reassure those working in education that it still stands, and should next week’s planned action be paused, my team and I are ready to begin talks immediately.

While pay will clearly be central to any talks that take place, I know there are a host of other issues we need to address to improve teachers’ working lives.

Both as education secretary and as a constituency MP I have visited many schools and met with hundreds of teachers. I know how hard they work to change lives and give every child the best start in life. I also know teachers’ workloads are currently too high.

So as part of previous discussions with union representatives and in future talks, I want to ensure we can work together on reforms to ease the pressure on classroom teachers and school leaders. That’s a commitment I know is shared wholeheartedly by the schools minister Nick Gibb.

I also want to address how we can better support schools with embedding the flexible working that is widely adopted in other professions but is still uncommon in our schools.

Alongside this I want to ensure we can bring forward other changes that help address classroom behaviour, which I know is another big challenge for many in the profession.

Supporting teachers to develop and progress in their careers will be on the table too, by looking at how we can build on the range of development programmes we already offer, like National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) or the Early Career Framework (ECF).

We could, next week, be talking about these issues – and pay – which are so important in teachers’ daily lives. Indeed, we could be talking about them already. Unfortunately, it looks like the NEU leadership will again be pushing ahead with strike action rather than making progress on pay for their members.  

If strikes do go ahead, I want to reiterate my call to teachers to please inform their heads if they intend to take part. There is no law compelling teachers to do this, but informing school leaders means they can plan accordingly, ensuring as many children can stay in school as possible. That’s something we all want.

It is in the best interests of children, their families and all those who work in the sector for the NEU to follow the lead of the health unions. Pause planned strike action and engage with me in serious, intensive talks. I have told the NEU leaders, I will clear my diary and get around the table as soon as they do so.

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  1. I really can’t see why, if the Ed Sec’s intentions are honourable, she can’t begin talks on the understanding that if progress is genuine strikes can be cancelled or postponed. Non of us want to disrupt school life or learning, and no one wants to sacrifice income in the current climate. But it is hard to imagine that a good will gesture extending to opening negotiations despite a planned strike would be a bad idea. Goodness knows they have made it difficult enough for legitimate industrial action to be planned. Having failed in their attempt to effectively ban strikes, the response to a clear and unambiguous message from the NEU membership stinks.