Almost 40,000 people have signed an open letter expressing their support for striking teachers in a series of heartfelt messages.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) are set to walk out on Wednesday, February 1, in a dispute over pay, with further industrial action planned by teaching staff in the coming weeks. A number of schools will be closed due to the strikes, including several in the North East.
Supporters of the action have been adding their names to an open letter created on the petition platform 38 Degrees, which echoes the union's plea to the Government to "pay up and save our schools". The NEU said of the walkouts: "We do not want to go on strike – we want to be in the classroom, teaching and supporting our amazing children and young people.
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"But there is a crisis of recruitment and retention within the school system, a decade of falling pay is a key reason for this and this needs to be addressed by the Government." Union members are campaigning for an above-inflation pay rise for teachers, joining the likes of train and bus drivers, university staff and civil servants for what the Trades Union Congress has called the biggest collective strike action in more than a decade on Wednesday.
The open letter addressed to all teachers who are striking reads: "We thank you for all you do to give the next generation the best start in life. Whilst we don’t want to see you forced to strike, we realise you have been left in an impossible situation, as your pay is cut, colleagues leave in droves, not enough qualified staff are recruited, burnout is rife, buildings crumble and you aren’t given the pay deal you deserve.
"We don’t blame you for this decision, we blame the Government for putting you in this position. We urge the Education Secretary, Chancellor and Prime Minister to get round the table with teaching unions now, and give you the pay deal you deserve, so you can get back to doing what you do best: giving our next generation the education that they deserve.
"Thank you for all that you do," the heartfelt message signs off. And many who signed the petition added their own personalised messages to teachers, praising them for "shaping our lives" and being the "backbone of society".
"Teachers shape lives. You never forget their names," one person wrote, going on to list the names of the teachers who had made an impact in their life. "I’m signing this and will be on the picket line in their memory."
Another supporter said: "Classroom teachers are undervalued and underpaid and should get the recognition and respect they deserve."
"I definitely support the teachers and hope they get the pay rise they so deserve," said a third.
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