The National Education Union (NEU) is at a historic crossroads. As England’s largest teacher union, it has played a leading role in organizing conversations on the value of teacher pay. Most recently, the NEU suspended its intended industrial action after the government increased its 2023 pay proposal to 6.5%. Despite this inklings of progress, tensions are still high as the majority of teachers are unsatisfied, claiming the proposed raise is too little for their needs.
Commenting on the NEU’s general secretary Daniel Kebede seal of the noble, sadly the government does not show commitment to support the educators properly. The union struck several successful strikes that closed most of the district’s schools in the first half of 2023. Now, they are looking to take additional steps on the legislative side if nothing changes. The government has suggested a 2.8% pay increase for teachers in 2025, but the NEU says this is too low.
In an unofficial ballot held by the NEU, a stunning 93.7% turned down the new offer. Further, 83.4% said they were prepared to go on strike if needed, with a 47.2% turnout. This massive showing is a testament to the anger that teachers everywhere feel about their pay and the state of their workplaces.
The NEU is currently calling for a 5% real terms pay rise. Nationally, they seek at least $1 trillion in new government funding so that schools won’t have to drain their current, operating budgets. Their earlier strike actions earned teachers a 5.5% salary increase for 2024. Most think this included uplift isn’t nearly enough to meet the reality of the growing demands on them to do the impossible in their schools.
Her response strongly indicated that Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson recognizes the need for stability in our schools. She stated, “With school staff, parents, and young people working so hard to turn the tide on school attendance, any move towards industrial action by teaching unions would be indefensible.” In response to the NEU’s threat of disruption, Phillipson pleaded with them to put children’s education first.
Should talks break down, the NEU will strike. Indeed, they intend to conduct a formal ballot of their membership on further industrial action. The union’s leadership is undeterred and continues to call for teachers to improve their pay and conditions.
Against this troubling backdrop, educators are beginning to make their voices heard on the unsustainability of the teaching profession. Steve Ryan, a teacher nearing retirement, remarked, “This is my last year of teaching. I’m due to retire, and, from what I see, I wouldn’t like to carry on.” His feelings, which mirror an increasing anxiety among educators over the state of their profession and the future of pedagogy in England, are justified.
Parents and students alike have been vocal about their fears of the damage strikes would cause. Dalilia Espindula, a concerned parent, voiced her frustration: “I feel for the disruption to parents and their children if teachers were to walk out.”
The NEU conference that took place in Harrogate was the perfect environment to discuss and address these rapidly unsettling developments. Teachers like Alessia shared her perspective on the profession: “I would have loved to have been a primary school teacher… although they do it for the love of the job and the children, it’s really just not a job that I think anyone would want anymore.”
Discussions are still happening, and teachers continue to wait with bated breath for reassuring news from the government. The direction of travel for education in England could not be more unclear. How the NEU responds will be key in determining the short and long term playing field for educators and their allies throughout the country.
