NEW WAVE OF SCHOOL STRIKES AS PAY OFFER REJECTED

TWO WALKOUTS GO AHEAD WITH POTENTIAL FOR DISPUTE TO STRETCH INTO THE AUTUMN | New school strikes a blow to pupils as teachers reject ‘insulting’ offer

- Anna Davis

SCHOOLS were today braced for a fresh wave of strikes as teachers voted to reject the Government’s latest offer in an increasingly bitter pay dispute.

Teachers are set to walk out on April 27 and May 2 after 98 per cent of National Education Union members rejected the offer it described as “insulting”. More than 191,000 teachers in England had voted against Education Secretary Gillian Keegan’s offer, the NEU announced at its annual conference in Harrogate today. Delegates broke into chants of “come on Gill, pay the bill”.

Most teachers in England have had a five per cent pay rise this year. The Government had proposed an additional one-off £1,000 payment and an average 4.5 per cent rise for most staff in the next school year. It had also pledged to create a taskforce to help reduce teacher workload. Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said: “We have today written to the Education Secretary informing her of the next two days of strike action on April 27 and May 2 that NEU teacher members in England will now be taking.”