London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 06, 2026

Wales strikes: Teachers reject pay offer and will take action

Wales strikes: Teachers reject pay offer and will take action

Teachers have rejected a Welsh government pay offer and are set to go on strike next month.

The National Education Union postponed Tuesday's strike but will now walk out on 2 March following a meeting between officials.

Ministers had offered an extra 1.5% pay rise, plus 1.5% as a one-off payment.

Teachers in the NEU and the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) previously rejected this year's pay rise of 5%.

Had they accepted the new offer, that would have meant a 6.5% pay rise with an additional one-off 1.5% this year.

Two further strikes are planned for 15 and 16 March.

The union's joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: "In good faith the union postponed the day of action scheduled for 14 February, whilst we conveyed full details of (education minister) Jeremy Miles' offer and sought feedback from members in Wales.

"They have emphatically informed us that the offer of an additional 1.5% added to teachers' pay, plus an additional 1.5% lump sum is simply not good enough."

Mr Courtney insisted it failed to address the cost of living crisis, inflation, or the "damage" to pay since 2010.

"We have a clear mandate for strike action that is now rescheduled for 2 March in schools across Wales," he said.

David Evans said NEU Cymru was committed to seeking a resolution to the dispute.

The NEU's Wales secretary, David Evans, said NEU Cymru was committed to seeking a resolution to the dispute.

He said it would meet Welsh government education minister, Jeremy Miles, as often as necessary.

"Whilst we acknowledge that the Welsh government has made offers that include seeking to address workload and reopening negotiations for 2023/24, those offers still fall short of our members expectations and needs," he said.

The Welsh government said it appreciated teachers' work but that it was operating under "challenging financial constraints".

It believed its pay offer was "strong".

"We are keen to continue to have discussions with partners," a spokesman said.
Cadija Balde said she would not be able to work during the strike


Outside Baden Powell Primary, in Tremorfa, Cardiff, parents said they backed teachers.

Cadija Balde said: "For me as a mum I support them, but as a mum it will affect me with the kids being off school as I want to go to work.

"If my son cannot go to school, I cannot work."

Claire Bailey said teachers deserved a pay increase.

She said: "They work hard enough and everything they've done throughout Covid, I can't thank them enough, so the least they can do is offer them a pay rise."

Jenny Ashton said teachers should get fair pay


Jenny Ashton said: "I back them. If you see how much work they do, they are bringing up our kids, we're not the only ones doing it.

"So I think they should get fair pay."

Laura Boyd said: "They are struggling with the current crisis and financial needs, and even though they work long hours, and get the holidays they do, they still need a pay rise to try and pay their own bills and support their own families."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Thetford Disorder Prompts Expanded Police Powers Amid Asylum-Housing Protests
Cambridge Faces Calls for Independent Review of Jason Arday Appointment
Scotland’s ‘Cock of the North’ Woodland Is Being Felled After Wind Damage
Reform UK and Greens Unite Against Vast Solar Plans for Kent Marshland
New Zealand Draws Wealthy Americans With Revamped Investor Visa
Senate Panel Votes to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt After Fifth Amendment Testimony
Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Resigns as University Opens Inquiry Into His Credentials
HMRC’s 2029 Tax Shift Could Overlap Old and New Self-Assessment Bills
Manchester Power Failure Disrupts Trains Across North West Into Friday
UK Fashion and Tourism Sectors Prepare for Strong Summer and Autumn Activity
London Residents Seek Appeal Against Approval for Chinese Super-Embassy Development
UK Environment Officials Issue Biosecurity Alert Over Rising Bluetongue Cases in Livestock
UK Charity Regulator Opens Investigations Into Donations Linked to Israeli Settlements
Gatwick Expansion and Chinese Embassy Plans Highlight Growing UK Infrastructure Disputes
UK Agriculture Authorities Warn of Rising Bluetongue Virus Cases Among Sheep Farms
UK Watchdog Finds Electronic Monitoring Failures Leaving Some Offenders Without Timely Alerts
Metropolitan Police Investigate Covent Garden Knife Attack That Injured Four Men
UK Government Confirms Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Programme Expands
Diageo Plans Guinness Expansion While Cutting Jobs Through Global Restructuring Programme
Bank of England Keeps UK Borrowing Costs Stable While Markets Await Future Rate Cuts
Gatwick Airport Wins Approval for Second Runway Expansion After Legal Challenges Fail
Apple Challenges UK Government Over Demand for Access to Encrypted iCloud Data
London Approves First Autonomous Taxi Licences for Wayve and Uber Passenger Trials
UK Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Finds Advanced AI Models Showing Deceptive Behaviour in Security Tests
UK Small Boat Channel Crossings Fall Forty-Three Percent as Government Highlights France Cooperation
UK Government Plans Procurement Reforms to Boost British Jobs and Domestic Steel Supply Chains
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at Three Point Seven Percent as Inflation Stays Above Target
EY Raises UK 2026 Growth Forecast to Zero Point Nine Percent as Energy Risks Remain a Concern
UK Artificial Intelligence Regulation and Public Infrastructure Investment Remain Key Policy Focus Areas
Kemi Badenoch Faces Criticism Over Appointment of Former Neo-Nazi Linked Figure to Advisory Role
AG Barr Reports £10 Million Sales Loss After Supply Chain and Planning Failures
UK Government Fast-Tracks Specialist Care Pathways for Motor Neurone Disease Patients
UK Government Connects More Than 60,000 Rural Homes and Businesses to Gigabit Broadband
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Forecast After Strong Summer Sales
Metropolitan Police Arrest Woman After Four Men Stabbed in Central London’s Covent Garden Area
UK Procurement Reform and Infrastructure Spending Signal New Focus on Regional Economic Growth
UK Government Expands Global Talent Visa Access for International Researchers and Innovators
NHS Launches £343 Million Expansion of Community Mental Health Centres Across England
UK Treasury Explores Higher Borrowing Capacity for Infrastructure and Housing Investment
UK Cabinet Office Reforms Procurement Rules to Direct £90 Billion of Public Spending Toward Jobs and Skills
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s Activities and Possible Institutional Failures
Britain’s AI Safety Institute Finds Advanced Models Creating Fake Identities and Malicious Code During Tests
Lightning Strike Kills Yala FC Player During Match in Southern Thailand
Senate Scrutinises AI-Driven Personalised Pricing
Spain Seeks Mainland Transfers for 1,100 Children Stranded in Ceuta
UK Government Pushes New Procurement, Skills and Technology Policies Amid Economic Pressure
UK Charity Commission Investigates Donations Linked to Israeli Settlement Groups
UK Government Faces Pressure Over Possible Windfall Tax on Bank Profits
South East Water Provides Emergency Support After Kent Supply Disruptions
UK Defence Supports US Operation to Seize Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker in North Atlantic
×