As reported in its press release of March 1, the National Education Union (NEU) has launched a preliminary strike ballot over the government's derisory recommendation of a 2.8% pay increase for teachers. The union contends that this offer does not even come close to covering the rising cost of living and fails to reflect the true worth of teachers' contributions. The ballot will ask teachers if they accept the Department for Education's pay recommendation and if they are willing to take strike action to secure a higher, fully funded pay rise. The NEU will decide whether to proceed to a formal ballot at its conference next month.

The 2.8% offer, while in line with the forecast CPI inflation rate for 2025, significant lags behind RPI inflation projected at 3.6%, and fails to account for the steep real-term pay cuts endured over the past decade. The decision to leave schools to fund the increase from existing budgets has further inflamed tensions, with school leaders warning of inevitable cuts to staff and services.

Commenting on the launch of the indicative ballot, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said [1]:

"We all know that an unfunded 2.8% pay award is unacceptable. It will deepen the chronic recruitment and retention crisis in our schools, and means more cuts for already struggling schools. Pay has fallen by around a fifth against inflation since 2010, pushing education into the worst crisis in decades. More schools are in deficit now than at any point since 2010. Class sizes are the largest on record.

"Our members do not want to strike but ignoring the profession and backing educators into a corner means we will be left with no choice. The government was elected in the hope it would value education, but a 2.8% pay award without funding does the opposite. Like the Conservatives before them, they are forcing schools to make more cuts.

"It is short-sighted, it is wrong, and teachers will not stand for it. There is time yet for Rachel Reeves and her colleagues to think again and deliver for teachers, children, and our schools."

Teachers across England have already held a number of local school strikes. Over twenty schools saw strike action by NEU union members from February 25-28, covering issues such as pay, workload, job cuts, school closures, and pensions. [2]

In particular, teachers in Coventry struck against proposed changes that threaten their pensions. The NEU and NASUWT at the Coventry School Foundation walked out between from January 9 and 16, including picket lines at Bablake and King Henry VIII primary and secondary schools. The unions are in dispute over the removal of all teacher members from the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS). The foundation had not brought a "sensible proposal" to avert strike action, according to the NASUWT.

In parallel, teachers and support staff won "a landmark victory" over employment conditions against the Harris Federation, reports the NEU [3]. This is a Federation known for its intransigence in correcting unacceptable work practices throughout its workforce, writes the union. It has been haemorrhaging staff: at the end of Summer Term 2023, 27% of teachers in Harris left their school, significantly higher than in local authority-maintained schools. An overwhelming ballot in January and February showed 92% of members voting for strike action on an 80% turnout, demonstrating staff's willingness to challenge their employer. Following talks, NEU members agreed to suspend the ballot.

"All teachers and support staff at the 18 Harris academies who stood up for their rights should feel proud of the stance they were prepared to take for fair pay, conditions, and the unjust treatment of overseas trained teacher colleagues. While there is still more to do this is a remarkable achievement and a testimony to the strength in collective action," said Daniel Kebede.

"Addressing the exploitation of overseas trained teachers by Harris Federation is a victory. This was Harris Federation's Windrush. This is a record they should be ashamed of, and it is right that it is finally being addressed. No teacher wants to be taking strike action, and we are pleased that through negotiations with ACAS and the shift in the position of Harris this is currently not necessary. There is still much to do, and the NEU will continue to press for more change to ensure the workforce at Harris is treated fairly and with respect, and that learning conditions for pupils improve."

Meanwhile, in Scotland, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has criticized the Scottish government for failing to meet a deadline for meaningful progress on reducing class-contact time for teachers. The union claims that the deadline set by the teachers' panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (a body comprising members from teaching organisations, local authorities, and the Scottish government) passed without any offer from the government and local authorities' body Cosla.

The union's general secretary, Andrea Bradley, said: "With Scotland's teachers continuing to be burdened by unsustainable workload and to engage in numerous hours of unpaid time each week on planning, preparing and providing feedback on learning, this failure now makes a wholly avoidable dispute appear inevitable." [4].

The struggle is more than just over claims and conditions. As Daniel Kebede said in April last year, at the end of the previous government: "Education is on its knees, struggling to cope with a crisis never seen before in our sector." [5] Teachers speak of colleagues leaving the profession in droves, classrooms staffed by unqualified substitutes, and students bearing the brunt of systemic neglect. It is clear that the new government has done nothing to solve the crisis and is set to make matters even worse.

Serious issues such as the crisis in staff recruitment, or the lack of resources and funding, are unacceptable in a modern society. It is the teachers themselves who hold the solutions; their marginalisation highlights the crucial importance of workers organising to empower themselves, to play a full role in decision-making. Workers Forum salutes the recent waves of action and demands that the long-marginalised voices of teachers and other education workers be heard.

Notes
1. "NEU launches indicative ballot on pay", NEU, March 1, 2025
https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/neu-launches-indicative-ballot-pay
2. "Schools strike wave builds the fightback", Socialist Worker, February 25, 2025
https://socialistworker.co.uk/trade-unions/schools-strike-wave-builds-the-fightback/
3. "Harris Federation landmark victory", NEU, February 28, 2025
https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/harris-federation-landmark-victory
4. "Dispute Appears "Inevitable" Over Teachers' Class Contact Time", EIS, February 6, 2025
https://www.eis.org.uk/latest-news/disputeinevitable
5."Teachers May Ballot for New Strikes in September over Pay and Funding", Workers' Weekly, April 13, 2024
https://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wwie-24/ww24-08/ww24-08-03.htm

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