Teacher unions’ new ballot for strike action
Two teaching unions have opened new ballots for strike action after rejecting the Government's recent pay offer.
Members of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and National Education Union (NEU) rejected the pay and working conditions offer and ballots for members to vote on industrial action opened on Monday.
The NEU said it is re-balloting teachers, with the current mandate for industrial action ending on July 13.
The NAHT ballot will close on July 31, with education unions agreeing to co-ordinate strike action in the autumn term. The NEU ballot will run until July 28.
NEU joint secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said :" Due to the lack of engagement from Government, the NEU has been put in the position of re-balloting its members to continue the dispute, seeking a fully-funded pay offer which meets their expectations.”
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: "After our members overwhelmingly rejected the previous inadequate offer, which was not properly funded, we appealed to the Government to get back round the table.
"So far we have had no further meaningful talks and instead the Government has dropped its offer of a £1,000 cost-of-living payment.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "It is bitterly disappointing unions continue to pursue strike action, despite having already cost children almost a week in school.
"Whether it was delivering the £2bn funding uplift in the autumn or making a fair pay offer, our priority has been finding a solution to end this dispute and the disruption.”