DAMAGING school strikes are set to continue in England after National Education Union members voted to reject the government’s latest pay offer.
In a major blow to pupils, hundreds of thousands of teachers will walk out of work on April 27 and May 2 unless a new deal is struck.
Teacher strikes in England will go ahead this month after NEU members voted to reject the latest government pay deal
On a turnout of 66%, NEU members voted by an overwhelming 98% to reject the latest offer.
The deal included a 4.3% salary hike for 2024, alongside a £1,000 cash bonus this year.
NEU Joint General Secretaries Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, who recommended the rejection, said: “No teacher wants to be on strike.
“The offer will do nothing to stem the teacher recruitment and retention crisis which is so damaging to our children and young people’s education.”
They added: “The NEU is ready as we have stated all along to negotiate with ministers, but this time we hope a lesson has been learnt.”
Ministers say they are giving schools £2.3bn over the next two years.
They argued the rejected deal was “a fair and reasonable offer”, which included a commitment to shrink workloads by five hours per week.
But union chiefs want an inflation busting hike for their members.
Meanwhile, in Wales and Scotland unions have accepted government pay offers, putting an end to months of disruptive walk outs.
Scottish teachers gained a 7% pay rise for 2022/23, backdated to April.
They will also receive a 5% hike this month, followed by further 2% rise in January next year.
In Wales teachers shook hands on an 8% hike for 2022/23, next to a 5% rise for 2023/24.
In a message to parents, Dr Bousted and Mr Courtney added: “We have no wish to disrupt education, indeed our action is aimed at getting the Government to invest in the education of this generation of children and the people who teach them.
“We are asking our school reps to plan with head teachers to ensure that year 11 and year 13 students have a full programme of education on the upcoming strike days.”
