Teachers in England to Strike for Two Days in July Due to Pay Disputes

The strikes are scheduled for July 5th and 7th, and many schools are expected to fully or partially close.

The NEU is calling for negotiations with the government to start again, and strike action is a "last resort." The Department for Education has stated that further strike action would cause "real damage" to pupil learning, and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has previously said strike action was "extremely disappointing." There have been five national and three regional strike days by NEU members since February.

The most recent one, on May 2nd, affected more schools than ever.

Dr. Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, the NEU's joint general secretaries, have called for Keegan to get back to the negotiation table, as their calls have "fallen on stony ground." The government has offered a 4.3% pay rise for most teachers for 2023-24, with starting salaries reaching £30,000, but unions want the offer to be higher and funded by extra money from the government, rather than schools' existing budgets.

Talks stalled after all four unions rejected the government's offer, and they are calling for the government to publish the recommendations of the independent pay review body.

Four teaching unions in the UK are balloting members on strike action for the autumn term, with the aim of co-ordinating action to maximize disruption.

The government has said this is unreasonable.

In Northern Ireland, teachers are continuing to take action short of a strike, and in Wales, NAHT members are doing the same.

The pay dispute has ended in Scotland following a revised pay offer from the Scottish government.

The Department for Education has stated that the strike will cause disruption for parents across the country and that thousands of schools are receiving significant additional funding as part of a £2bn investment.

The School Teachers' Review Body has submitted its recommendations on pay for 2023/24 to the government, which will consider them and publish in the usual way.