Politics

Teacher strikes: NAHT will re-ballot members, Whiteman pledges

Leader says union will 'test members' views again when talks conclude or break down'

Leader says union will 'test members' views again when talks conclude or break down'

Paul Whiteman
Exclusive

The NAHT school leaders’ union will re-ballot its members for industrial action, its leader has confirmed, after its previous vote failed to reach the turnout threshold required.

The organisation said last week that it was considering going back to its membership after just 42 per cent of eligible members voted in its last ballot, short of the 50 per cent required by law.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman has now confirmed to Schools Week the union is “committed to balloting again”, although it will wait until talks with the government either come to an end or break down.

Of those members who did vote, 64 per cent of those supported strikes and 87 per cent backed action short of a strike.

We revealed last week that as many as one in seven members may have been denied the chance to vote in the NAHT’s strike ballot because of disruption caused by postal strikes.

Rob Kelsall, the union’s national secretary, said at the time that he was “confident that had that disruption not happened, that threshold would have been met”.

The exact wording of a second ballot would need to be agreed by the union’s leadership, but the NAHT expects to once again ask leaders to support both strike action and action short of strike.

‘We are committed to balloting again’

Crunch talks between union bosses and education secretary Gillian Keegan, and Friday’s meeting with Department for Education officials, have so far failed to find a compromise on teacher pay and school funding.

Whiteman told Schools Week the union’s national executive committee was “concerned that our democratic process was materially compromised by the Royal Mail chaos”.

“Because of this we are committed to balloting again.”

He said the fact the ballot was held in the first place – NAHT’s first over pay in its 125-year history – had helped secure more money for schools in the autumn statement and brought ministers to the table.

The union will “wait and see how much progress is made before we ballot again”, Whiteman said.

“Anti trade union law means ballot results have a limited shelf life so we will test members’ views again when talks conclude or break down.”

Members of the National Education Union are preparing to strike across England next week, on the first of six days of action planned throughout February and March. The union achieved a turnout of 53 per cent in its ballot.

The NASUWT teaching union, which also fell short of the turnout threshold, has also said it will re-ballot its members.

Latest education roles from

Director of Governance – HRUC

Director of Governance – HRUC

FEA

Principal and CEO

Principal and CEO

Hills Road Sixth Form College

Senior Quality Officer

Senior Quality Officer

University of Lancashire

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Minerva Learning Trust

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

IncludEd Conference: Get Inclusion Ready

As we all clamber to make sense of the new Ofsted framework, it can be hard to know where...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Helping every learner use AI responsibly

AI didn’t wait to be invited into the classroom. It burst in mid-lesson. Across UK schools, pupils are already...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Retire Early, Live Fully: What Teachers Need to Consider First

Specialist Financial Adviser, William Adams, from Wesleyan Financial Services discusses what teachers should be considering when it comes to...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Politics

Kids’ school dinner protest leaves a bad taste

NEU stunt involving primary pupils handing out leaflets on free school meals draws criticism

Ruth Lucas
Politics

Reform-run Kent council plans £2m school budget raid

Leaders say proposals fly in face of pre-election pledges to identify efficiencies and savings from Musk-style DOGE unit

Jack Dyson
Politics

Labour conference 2025: Bridget Phillipson’s full speech

The education secretary addressed the party's annual conference in Liverpool

Freddie Whittaker
Politics

Labour-linked education group backs Lucy Powell for deputy leader

Backing for rival from Socialist Educational Association is a blow to education secretary Bridget Phillipson

Freddie Whittaker

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *