Many North East schools remained closed or partially closed today as hundreds of teaching staff took part in the biggest strike in a decade.
It marked the first of seven days of industrial action by members of the National Education Union, who joined transport and civil service union members in walking out over pay and working conditions. Members are calling for an above-inflation pay rise funded by the Government rather than existing school budgets.
Rochelle Charlton-Lainè, a teacher at Dene Academy, in Peterlee, said: "We're not talking about shaving funding off for all the kids, we're talking about fully-funded money from the Government. When we think about the pandemic they spent £8 billion on unusable PPE and yet they can't fund nurses, they can't fund teachers. It needs to change."
Read more: School teachers strike LIVE: Updates on North East school closures and advice for parents
Ms Charlton-Lainè, who is also Town Councillor for Seaham and Durham County Councillor for Deneside, Seaham, joined hundreds of teaching staff in a rally which took place at Durham's Market Place. She was accompanied by a number of her colleagues at the school, including IT teacher Sharon Briggs.
Ms Briggs added: "Children are losing out dramatically if we don't have the support in the classrooms. Teachers cannot do their jobs without the support staff and if we don't get a fully-funded pay rise, that's who is going to lose their jobs."
Elsewhere in the North East, over 1,000 people joined a march through Newcastle city centre in support of the strike for workers rights. Hundreds chanted "Save our schools" as people marched from Newcastle's Civic Centre, down Northumberland Street and accumulated at Grey's Monument where union members gave speeches to the crowds.
Many joined the march holding signs and placards with messages such as: "Fund schools. Fund services", "A wet paper towel isn't going to fix this", and "Pay up". While others joined to defend workers rights to strike after MPs backed a bill which would see some employees required to work during industrial action and face being sacked if they refuse.
Speaking in the House of Commons during Prime Ministers Questions today, City of Durham Labour MP Mary Kelly Foy asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak if he was going to "get a grip and negotiate with working people".
Ms Foy said: "The Prime Minister once said that he didn't have any working class friends. So he may not be aware that today half a million hardworking people are on strike, including in his own constituency.
"Tory Britain isn't working. Is the Prime Minister going to get a grip and negotiate with working people, or does he intend being remembered as the PM who silenced and sacked hard working nurses, paramedics, teachers, rail workers, and firefighters in a cost of living crisis?"
Mr Sunak said: "When it comes to teachers, we've actually given teachers the highest pay rise in 30 years. That includes a nine percent pay rise for newly qualified teachers and record investment in their training and development.
"I am clear that our children's education is precious and they deserve to be in school today being taught. And actually the party opposite would do well to say that the strikes are wrong and we should be backing our school children."
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