Education unions across schools and universities are gearing up for battles over pay which signal possible disruption this academic year. Ballots for industrial action are likely to open in the next few weeks, teaching unions warned, as they branded the 5% pay offer an “insult”.
A ballot for action over pay and pensions by the UCU, which represents staff at universities, has already opened and closes on October 21. The Nasuwt Cymru teaching union, NEU Cymru and the Association of School and College Leaders Cymru said their members are angry over the below inflation teachers’ pay offer of 5% and are also likely to ballot members this term.
NEU Cymru secretary David Evans said: “We are in the midst of undertaking a consultative ballot on members' views which will then inform any formal ballot process. No date for commencing the formal ballot has been confirmed as yet but is likely to take place this term.”
Read more: How to ask for a pay rise during the cost of living crisis
The Nasuwt Cymru has written to Education Minister Jeremy Miles saying it is in official dispute over the 5% offered to teachers and wants 12%. Neil Butler, Nasuwt National Official Wales, said morale among members was at “rock bottom”.
Headteachers and school leaders don't have a history of industrial action, but ASCL Cymru warned the mood was changing. “Our members never normally contemplate industrial action. So it shows the current strength of feeling," said Eithne Hughes, director of the Association of School and College Leaders.
Teachers are also angry, said Neil Butler, of Nasuwt National Official Wales: “Teachers are continuing to pull out all the stops to be there for their pupils while continuing to see the demands on them increase and their pay fall year on year in real terms," he said. “They are tired of being taken for granted by this government and we believe they are ready to take industrial action if they do not see an immediate commitment on pay.”
University staff said their pensions, as well as their pay, have fallen in real terms and they are furious over changes to pensions. The latest ballot follows previous university strikes pre-Covid and earlier this year. UCU members at every university in Wales started voting last month on whether to take industrial action in disputes over pay, working conditions and pensions. The University and College Union (UCU) warned some university staff “face poverty”.
The union said ballots were being held over long-running disputes which have now become more urgent in the face of “the worst cost of living crisis in living memory.” A result on the ballot will be announced later this month.
Jim Rafferty, a research officer at Swansea University Medical School and UCU member said: "The cost of living crisis is biting, but the issues in higher education have been going on for far longer. Before the recent rise in inflation, UCU members pay had seen a 20% real terms reduction in the last 10 years.
“Pension benefits have been consistently eroded with the most recent unnecessary changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) seeing the average member expected to lose 40% of their retirement income. Student numbers and workloads have been increasing to absolutely unmanageable levels, and the additional work and goodwill from university staff during the pandemic has largely been forgotten. We want to see a higher education system that is attractive for people to work in and sustainable for universities. A positive resolution to the dispute will help to ensure the future of research and education for the public good.”
Open University UCU member Anita Pilgrim echoed this saying: “University staff include large numbers working behind the scenes on lower levels of pay, and many on precarious employment contracts. Management promises of equality and diverse representation are belied by our high and rising gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps. Work overload means we are going into the new academic year already exhausted, and high burnout rates among staff with poor support puts even further pressure on our ability to deliver.”
Teachers' pay is a devolved matter and Education Minister Jeremy Miles has said he is minded to accept the recommendation from the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) for a 5% pay offer. The Nasuwt wants 12%, but although talks are continuing, that is unlikely given the current squeeze on the public purse.
There are also fears that councils won’t be able to fully fund any pay offer to teachers meaning the money will have to come from school budgets or job cuts. A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The agreed annual process for teacher pay is ongoing and we hope all sides will continue to actively engage as it develops. We have been very clear that funding for the pay award was allocated to local authorities via the local government settlement earlier this year and no additional funding will be provided by Welsh Government.
“No local authority will receive less than an 8.4% increase in 2022-23, so the IWPRB’s recommendations for all teacher pay scales and allowances to be uplifted by 5% from September 2022 should be achievable within their budgets.”
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