Teacher strikes set to go ahead as no progress made in pay negotiations

Teacher strikes planned for next week are set to go ahead as no progress has been made in negotiations over pay.

The National Education Union (NEU) said this week it was “prepared to recommend a pause to strikes” to its national executive committee on Saturday (25 February) in a “sign of goodwill”, but only if a “serious proposal” is made to end the dispute. But the union said today it is not expecting any developments and that the strikes remain in place.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan had written to teaching unions inviting them to “formal talks on pay, conditions and reform” on the condition that next week’s strike action is cancelled. Regional walkouts by NEU members are planned for 28 February, 1 and 2 March with national strike action across England and Wales planned for 15 and 16 March.

Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said on Friday: “It is completely disingenuous to suggest that we are not willing to enter talks with Government. We are absolutely ready to come to talks. What we cannot accept are pre-conditions which require us to pause strike action before we have made any progress through negotiations to resolve this dispute.”