Teachers are to be balloted on whether to carry out further strike action - as an ongoing dispute over pay shows no sign of ending.
On Friday, the National Education Union (NEU) said “with a great sense of regret” it had notified Education Secretary Gillian Keegan it will be re-balloting members for further strike action by state school teachers.
It comes a day after Thursday saw teachers across the country walk out for 24 hours in their “biggest strike yet” after talks with the Government ground to a halt.
More walkouts are planned for Tuesday - just weeks before the start of GCSE and A-level exams - and for the summer term.
The fresh ballot announced by the NEU will open on May 15, and close on July 28.
The NEU, alongside other unions, have rejected a £1,000 one-off payment for the current school year and an average 4.5 per cent pay rise for staff next year. Despite calls for negotiations to restart, no progress has been made.
The NEU is calling for “a fully funded above-inflation pay rise for the September 2022 and September 2023 teachers’ pay awards”.
Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said on Friday: “This action should be entirely unnecessary. Despite both the Governments in Wales and Scotland reaching a settlement, Gillian Keegan has wilfully washed her hands of anything to do with the dispute for a fully funded pay rise for teachers in England.
“The entire teaching profession has rejected the previous offer, one which would give teachers in England lower pay than either Wales or Scotland.
“Such is the anger amongst members that she now faces the situation of all education unions taking a united stand against Government with all considering or having announced they will ballot members.
“‘The Secretary of State who remains, by some distance, the biggest obstacle to getting a sensible resolution, needs to address this issue head on and come to the negotiating table with all the education unions. This wilful lack of engagement will be something that parents and teachers will not forget.”
The full letter sent to the Education Secretary by Dr Bousted and the NEU’s joint general secretary Kevin Courtney accuses her of having “not responded to our letter and [having] not provided the undertakings we sought in order to avoid proceeding to a re-ballot”.
The letter adds: “We reiterate that we remain ready to negotiate with you and your officials at any reasonable time to resolve this dispute.”
Education SecretaryGillian Keegan previously said “strikes do not add any value” and warned they “only cause damage, particularly to young people”.
Regarding Thursday’s protest, a spokeswoman for the Department for Education said: “Any strike action is hugely damaging.
“We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers recognising their hard work and commitment. Thanks to the further £2 billion we are investing in our schools, next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history.”
The Department for Education has been approached by the Standard for a comment.
