10,000 extra teachers set to join the picket line

THOUSANDS of disgruntled teach- ers have switched unions in the aim of joining next month’s strike action, the Mail can reveal.

The National Education Union (NEU) has received more than 10,000 new members since it announced plans on Monday to strike over seven days in February and March.

Eligible teachers and school staff can take part in the planned walkouts if they sign up to the NEU before the first scheduled strike on February 1.

It means tens of thousands more teachers potentially joining the 120,000 members already walking out across England and Wales next month.

Overall, 300,000 teachers and support staff in England and Wales were asked to vote in the NEU ballot.

A total of 121,253 teacher members in England voted yes.

The news comes as Education Secretary Gillian Keegan suggested on Tuesday paying more to teachers in subjects facing a recruitment crisis such as maths and physics.

This was rejected by Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, who said such an offer would be resisted by members.

Dr Bousted said: ‘I had to make the point that any idea of a differentiated pay award would make the current situation worse, with regards to my members, all of whom feel very strongly that they are not being paid for the job that they do.’

She added: ‘We welcome everybody into the union but we are not encouraging members to switch unions to join us.’

A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘[Mrs Keegan] reiterated that strike action would be highly damaging to children’s education, particularly following the disruption experienced over the past two years.’

It comes as teachers at Rishi Sunak’s £46,000-a-year alma mater Winchester College are set to go on strike next month.

NEU members at Winchester voted in favour of walkouts in an indicative ballot. Of the staff balloted, 89 per cent voted to strike, with a turnout of 83 per cent.