Teachers in England to stage fresh strikes on two days in July amid pay dispute

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Teachers in England are to stage fresh strikes in July amid their long-running dispute over pay. Members of the National Education Union (NEU) will walk out on July 5 and 7, causing disruption to schools in the current term, the Press Association reports.

The NEU is currently re-balloting its members to see if they want to continue taking industrial action for the rest of the year. Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link The other education unions – ASCL, NAHT and NASUWT – are also balloting their members for strikes over pay and funding for teachers in England.

The unions have warned of co-ordinated action in the autumn term if there is no settlement to the dispute. Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said it was within the grasp of Education Secretary Gillian Keegan for the action to be halted. “Time and again the National Education Union, alongside its sister unions, have called for the Education Secretary to get around the negotiation table to settle this dispute for a fully-funded teacher pay increase.

Time and again our calls have fallen on stony ground,” they said. “The Education Secretary refused to re-enter negotiation on the grounds that she and her department were waiting for the publication of the School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB) recommendation on pay.” The NEU said the minister had received the body’s report and recommendations, but would not comment on speculation that it was suggesting a 6.5% pay rise.