Teachers' union considers strike action over pay and slams the Government's proposed 2.8% pay rise as 'inadequate'

14 April 2025, 16:28 | Updated: 14 April 2025, 16:53

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) have said they would consider striking over the Government's proposed pay rise of 2.8%.

Delegates at the NEU's annual conference in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, are expected to vote on whether union districts and branches should prepare for a formal industrial action ballot.

The majority of NEU members in England who participated in a preliminary ballot said they would be willing to take strike action to initiate a fully funded, higher pay award.

The Department for Education (DfE) said a 2.8% pay increase for teachers in 2025/2026 would be "appropriate".

The DfE also said the rise could help "maintain the competitiveness" of teachers' pay in spite of the "challenging financial backdrop" the Government is dealing with.

The DfE made such remarks in its evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) in December.

Read more: Teachers in England vote to reject Government offer of 2.8% pay rise

Read more: 'We need more men to be teachers', Education Secretary says, with boys' behaviour 'the defining issue of our time'

If the final outcome of the STRB process is deemed 'unacceptable' or the government fails to confirm real-terms funding increases in the June spending review, a formal industrial action ballot could be launched.

The pay review body has not yet made a formal recommendation regarding teacher pay in England.

The 'emergency motion' is expected to be debated in a private session at the conference on Tuesday morning.

The motion says the Government's proposed 2.8% pay increase for teachers in September is "inadequate".

The motion also says it may hinder Government targets of recruiting 6,500 more teachers.

The emergency motion urges the union's executive to groups including district, branches, and school groups to lobby the Government to publish the STRB report and begin preparations for a "formal ballot".

In the NEU's indicative ballot of its members - regarding the proposed 2.8% pay increase for teachers in England in 2025/26 - 93.7% of teacher members in state schools in England voted to reject the Government's proposal.

Meanwhile, 83.4% of NEU teacher members said they would consider action to achieve a higher pay reward.

Teachers across England were awarded a 5.5% pay increase in September.

This increase followed eight days of strike action in state schools in England in 2023. In July 2023, the Government agreed to implement the STRB's proposal of a 6.5% increase for teachers in England and strike action by multiple unions was suspended.

In a statement following the NEU vote, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said industrial action “would be indefensible” amid progress being made on school attendance, urging the union to "put children first".

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: “The Government’s response is a 2.8% increase from September which will be below inflation and way behind earnings growth in the wider economy.

"To add insult to injury, the pay offer is unfunded, with Government suggesting ‘efficiencies’ will cover the cost.

"Our members tell us every day of the desperate state their schools are in due to lack of funding – and this will only make things worse.

“The Government must listen to our profession and change course on teacher pay. And it must recognise the dire state of school funding and invest in education, to give the next generation the best chance possible in life."