Teachers threaten fresh strike chaos as unions reject Government’s ‘insulting’ pay offer – NATIONAL NEWS
Parents could face fresh disruption after teachers threatened new strike action in a growing row over pay, dealing another headache to ministers who promised to “fix” education.
The National Education Union (NEU), England’s largest teaching union, said teachers and school support staff could walk out if the Government pushes ahead with plans for a 6.5 per cent pay settlement spread across the next three school years.
Union leaders say the deal would amount to below-inflation rises once split across the three years, while schools would still be expected to find much of the money from existing budgets.
The threat leaves Labour facing the prospect of renewed classroom disruption less than two years after ministers pledged to improve standards and stabilise schools.
Daniel Kebede, the NEU’s general secretary, accused the Government of failing to properly fund education and warned schools were heading towards a “collision course” over pay.
“No member wants to be taking strike action, but unfunded below-inflation pay increases are an insult,” he said.
The union warned that without extra government funding, schools could be forced to cut staff, increase class sizes and place more pressure on remaining teachers.
The Department for Education criticised the threat of industrial action, saying children and parents would “pay the price” for further strikes.
A spokeswoman said ministers had taken steps to improve teacher pay and reduce workload pressures, adding that the Government wanted teaching to remain an attractive profession.
But critics said Labour risked angering both unions and parents after raising expectations before entering government, only to become embroiled in another public-sector pay dispute.
Kemi Badenoch accused unions of putting pupils at risk of further disruption, warning that children’s education should not become “a bargaining chip in pay disputes”. She has previously criticised what Conservatives describe as a growing “strike culture” across public services.
The dispute centres on recommendations submitted by the Department for Education to the independent School Teachers’ Review Body, which advises ministers on teacher pay.
Under the proposal, the 6.5 per cent increase would be spread between 2026 and 2029, with larger rises delayed until later years. Officials argued the approach would give schools more time to adjust budgets and staffing.
However, the NEU said schools were already under severe financial pressure and warned the settlement would fail to prevent cuts.
Earlier this year, the union held an indicative ballot in which 90.5 per cent of participating members backed strike action over pay. Turnout was 48.6 per cent.
Fresh walkouts would raise fears of a repeat of the disruption seen in 2023, when teachers staged eight days of strikes that forced many schools across England to close.
That dispute ended after ministers agreed to a single-year 6.5 per cent rise. Teachers later received a 5.5 per cent increase in 2024 and a further 4 per cent rise in 2025.
The latest row comes as inflation continues to put pressure on household finances. Inflation stood at 3.3 per cent in the year to March, while the Bank of England has warned that rising energy prices could push inflation higher later this year.
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