All state schools across England could end up being impacted by planned strike action in the autumn term after education unions vowed to join up for further walkouts.
The general secretaries of all four education unions - NEU, NAHT, NASUWT and ASCL - announced on Friday, April 28, that they intend to co-ordinate industrial action moving forward in "an unprecedented show of unity". This means that up to 400,000 teachers and headteachers in England could be involved in walkouts later this year if all unions go ahead with strikes, according to NEU chief Kevin Courtney.
Members of the NEU are set for their next planned walkout on Tuesday, May 2, following industrial action on Thursday, and plans to re-ballot its teachers in England to take further action in the autumn. The NAHT and the NASUWT both failed to meet the mandatory 50% turnout threshold required for strikes in England in their last ballots, and will re-ballot members in England during the summer term, while ASCL is also due to hold a formal ballot for national strikes in England for the first time in its history.
READ MORE: GMB union members vote to accept Government's pay offer for healthcare workers
Asked about the impact of possible co-ordinated strike action at a press conference at the NAHT's annual conference in Telford, Mr Courtney said: "I think with our four unions you would find that every state school in England would be affected by the dispute and that would put you up at 300,000-400,000 teachers... involved in taking the action, I would have thought.
"We don't want to take it. We want to find a solution. But with all four of us acting together I think we will all pass the Government's undemocratic thresholds and so it would be an enormous response from our members.
"We would sincerely apologise to parents for disrupting their children’s education if we're pushed to that. And we would sincerely apologise to them for disrupting their home and their working lives. However, what we are seeing is disruption in children's education every week of the school year."
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "For unions to co-ordinate strike action with the aim of causing maximum disruption to schools is unreasonable and disproportionate, especially given the impact the pandemic has already had on their learning.
"Children's education has always been our absolute priority and they should be in classrooms where they belong. We have made a fair and reasonable teacher pay offer to the unions, which recognises teachers' hard work and commitment as well as delivering an additional £2 billion in funding for schools, which they asked for."
After intensive talks with the education unions, the Government offered teachers a £1,000 one-off payment for the current school year (2022/23) and an average 4.5% rise for staff next year. However, the offer was described as "derisory" and an "insult" by union delegates at the recent press conference.
Do you support the teacher strikes? Let us know in the comments.
READ NEXT:
North East teachers ask Government to 'pay up' as they go on strike again in ongoing dispute
New rail strike set to cause travel chaos on day of Eurovision final
DWP and HMRC benefits that stop being paid when you reach state pension age
Etsy shoppers warned over sellers 'brazenly ripping off' customers with 'handmade' products
Young drivers could be banned from giving friends lifts under new plans
