The UK government is facing the threat of coordinated strikes by the two biggest teachers’ unions in the autumn after being accused of plunging education into a state of “crisis.”
Since the government came into office, there has been a relentless and unprecedented assault on teachers’ pay and conditions of service
The National Union of Teachers and the NASUWT announced a “historic agreement” to fight the coalition’s “attacks” on jobs, pensions, workload and pay.
The two education unions, which represent 85 per cent of teachers in England and Wales, said their members were facing attacks on their working conditions, workload, pensions, pay and jobs.
“Should the government refuse to take the current opportunity to negotiate sensible arrangements which protect teachers and defend education, then it is our intention to move to escalate industrial action, including jointly coordinated strike action and action short of strike action in the autumn,” said a joint statement.
More than half of teachers were “seriously” considering quitting and many were only being held back because of the poor state of the economy.
NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: “Since the government came into office, there has been a relentless and unprecedented assault on teachers’ pay and conditions of service.”
By the autumn school term, teachers will be in the second year of a pay freeze and six months into increased pension contributions, meaning real-term cuts of £5,500 for senior staff and £3,500 for those on lower grades, said Ms Keates.
She told a news conference that the government had plunged the teaching profession into a state of crisis, with 97 per cent of teachers saying the coalition’s policies were not improving education, and a 30 per cent drop in applications from potential new recruits.
Teachers felt “stunned” by the continued “assault” on their profession and were willing to take a stand, she added.
NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: “Since coming to power the government has sought to undermine teachers. Occasionally saying we have the best generation of teachers we’ve ever had in no way compensates for the onslaught of attacks and threats to pay, pensions and working conditions.”
She described Education Secretary Michael Gove as one of the “least popular” ministers ever.
The unions wrote to Mr Gove seeking urgent discussions about the “enormous threats” to teacher morale and the education system itself. They called on the minister to reach agreement before the start of the next academic year if industrial action is to be averted.
Officials said teaching was now in “crisis”, with growing numbers considering quitting and virtually everyone opposed to government policies.