School heads’ fears over cost of new pay award

HEAD teachers are worried schools will have to pick up the cost of any revised teacher pay award in Wales as they vote on whether or not to accept the latest Welsh Government offer.

Members of the school leaders union NAHT Cymru will continue to work to rule as they consider the new offer alongside other unions.

That offer is worth 8% this year, with 1.5% of that in the form of a nonconsolidated one-off payment, with another 5% rise next year.

There is also a “no detriment” principle, meaning that should there ultimately be a higher pay settlement in England that will be matched here.

But the NAHT Cymru said there were concerns over how the deal would be funded.

The union said some councils had “continually shortchanged schools” on cash promised for pay awards, which had led to a “postcode lottery” in terms of the education children receive in different parts of Wales.

NAHT Cymru members are now being consulted electronically on whether to accept the latest offer on pay, workload and funding from Education Minister Jeremy Miles.

Laura Doel, director of NAHT Cymru, said: “We welcome this offer and believe it is important to put it to our members to hear their opinion. However, we do have concerns about how the offer will be funded.

“The Welsh Government has committed additional funds to cover the 3% uplift for 2022/23, but have given no firm commitment that local authorities will fully fund the 5% uplift for the following academic year, which makes our members anxious.

“We know that some local authorities have continually shortchanged schools when it comes to money being promised for pay awards and this practice has to stop. This cannot become another example of the postcode lottery that blights school funding in Wales and ultimately has a detrimental impact on the delivery of education.”

The electronic ballot is due to close at noon on Friday, March 24. NAHT Cymru said it will not be pausing ongoing action short of strike during that time but will continue to take action until an agreement is reached.

It has emerged that not all councils will fund the 5% initial pay offer, despite a promise they would.

Unions and teachers have warned this will directly affect children’s education, with schools having to cut jobs, have larger class sizes and more use of unqualified staff in order to foot the rest of the wage bill.

In a letter to Mr Miles, seen by the Western Mail, the WLGA said councils would fully fund the first 5% offered, but one has now publicly stated it won’t and at least four more are also known not to be, say unions – this means schools would have to cover the shortfall from already squeezed budgets.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council said rising prices, inflation and interest rates have left it unable to fund the first 5% of the pay offer in full.

The Association of School and College Leaders Cymru has said it knows of at least four more councils which have told heads they also can’t afford to pay the 5%, leaving schools to foot the bill for any shortfall.

Members of the NAHT Cymru are working to rule for the first time ever in action which started on February 1 coinciding with the teachers’ strike, now paused while unions consider the new offer. It is the first time in its more than 100-year history that members have voted for action.