Teachers' union warns Labour over 'inadequate' pay offer

The National Education Union has warned that it will campaign against Labour MPs if the government fails to improve its pay offer to teachers in England for next year.

- Richard Adams

Daniel Kebede, the NEU's general secretary, criticised the prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, for a "betrayal" of their supporters, and told the union's annual conference to prepare for industrial action if their pay and funding was not satisfactory.

"Government says it would be indefensible for the NEU to take industrial action. Well I say to this government: it is indefensible for a Labour government - a Labour government! - to cut school funding," Kebede told delegates.

The Department for Education (DfE) has recommended a 2.8% rise to the independent School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) for the 2025-26 pay award. The DfE has yet to publish the STRB's findings but Kebede said any outcome needed to be above inflation and include compensation for school budgets.