Teachers in England vote to strike in autumn over pay

Members of the NASUWT teachers’ union have voted in favour of industrial action over pay and workload, raising the prospect of mass strikes and widespread disruption across schools in England this autumn.

After months of stalemate with no progress over teacher pay, NASUWT members voted decisively for industrial action, with 88.5% of eligible members voting to support strike action and 94.3% supporting action short of strike.

The union will now draw up a programme of industrial action short of strike action starting in September, which will mean teachers working to rule. The NASUWT will also discuss the possibility of coordinated strike action with other education unions during the autumn term.

Wednesday’s result is hugely significant after an earlier strike ballot by the NASUWT failed to reach the required 50% threshold of members taking part. Rising frustration among teachers ensured a turnout of 51.9% on the latest ballot.

Announcing the ballot result, Dr Patrick Roach, the NASUWT general secretary, said: “Today our members have sent a strong message to the government and to employers that teachers demand a better deal on pay and to address excessive workload and working hours.

“Our members have secured the largest mandate for industrial action by the NASUWT in over a decade, exceeding the government’s anti-trade union ballot thresholds.

“We have today written to the government and to employers confirming the prospect for industrial action in schools the length and breadth of the country from this autumn.”

The NASUWT is one of four education unions holding a strike ballot as part of a long-running pay dispute, which could lead to teachers staging the biggest strikes in a decade in a united show of strength. Other ballot results are expected in the coming weeks.

Negotiations between the Department for Education and the unions ended in March, with the NASUWT, the National Education Union, the National Association of Head Teachers and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) all decisively rejecting the government’s offer of a 4.3% pay rise and £1,000 one-off payment.

Since then the government has refused to reopen talks, with the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, saying ministers would wait for the STRB’s recommendations before making a further pay offer for the 2023-24 school year.