The National Education Union has announced two further days of teacher strikes next month.
The union’s national executive agreed action in schools will be taken on Wednesday July 5, and Friday July 7.
The union issued an ultimatum in May for the government to settle the ongoing dispute before June 17.
Today the union’s general secretaries Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said education secretary Gillian Keegan has “refused to re-enter negotiation on the grounds that she and her department were waiting for the publication of the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation on pay”.
Ministers have come under growing pressure to release the report, following the leak of the STRB’s main recommendation – a pay rise of 6.5 per cent for next year.
Bousted and Courtney said Keegan wrote to them saying she has received the report but won’t comment on speculation.
The union leaders said Keegan “could avoid the strikes in July by publishing the STRB report, entering substantive talks with us and the education unions, ASCL, NAHT and NASUWT to find a settlement on its response to the report, its funding and this year’s pay rise”.
The NEU is currently re-balloting members for a renewed mandate for strikes in the autumn term. Leadership unions ASCL and NAHT and teaching union NASUWT are also balloting their members.
NEU members have walked out five times nationwide and three times regionally since February. Unions rejected March’s pay offer.
A Department for Education spokesperson referenced the extra £2 billion of investment in schools and added: “Further strike action will cause real damage to pupil learning and even more disruption for parents right across the country.
“As part of the normal process, the independent School Teachers’ Review Body has submitted its recommendations to government on teacher pay for 2023/24. We will be considering the recommendations and will publish our response in the usual way.”
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