Teachers are set to strike in Wales from next month in a row over pay. Unions representing head teachers and staff at schools will strike on February 1, February 14, March 15 and March 16 in Wales as well as other dates in England.
Teachers have been campaigning for months for a pay increase close to inflation, which is currently over 10%. Teachers in Wales rejected the Welsh Government's offer of a 5% increase in November, calling it an "insult" and threatening to strike unless a higher offer was put on the table.
The strikes are likely to leave parents facing childcare issues with school closures on the cards. Although schools do not legally have to close in the event of industrial action, the number of staff likely to be absent means closures are probable with decisions to be taken between headteachers and local authorities.
Read more: Exact dates teachers plan to strike and schools may have to close
Both the NEU and NAHT, two of the biggest teaching unions, announced their ballot results on Monday. The NEU Cymru ballot result saw 92.28% of teacher members vote to strike on a turnout of 58.1%, above the threshold needed to legally strike. A ballot of support staff in Wales saw the majority of members vote yes 88.26% on a turnout of 51.3%. Teachers and support staff in Wales will now strike on February 1, February 14, March 15 and March 16.
NEU members in England also voted to strike with teachers voting 90.44% yes on a turnout of 53.27%. However, English support staff failed to reach the threshold despite an 84.13% majority voting to strike.
Members of NAHT which represents head teachers and school leaders also saw its members in Wales vote to strike with 95% voting ‘Yes’ to action short of strike and 75% voting ‘Yes’ to strike with a turnout of 55% of the union’s membership. The union's committee will meet in the coming days to decide on dates for strike action.
Laura Doel, director of NAHT Cymru, said recruitment and retention issues in the teaching sector had left the education system "at breakpoint. Our leaders are being asked to do more with less, schools are losing staff, and those left are struggling to keep up with the demands of the job," she said.
“We need to invest in education where it offers the most value for our learners, and that’s in the workforce. It is only with highly skilled, quality teachers and teaching assistants in our classrooms, and strong leaders in our schools, that we can deliver for our children.”
Current pay scales for teachers in Wales are split across two different ranges, the main range and the upper range. The Welsh Government announced last summer that teachers would receive a 5% salary increase bringing the starting salary for new teachers to £28,866 and those of more experienced classroom teachers to £44,450 - an increase of £2,117. The offer, which unions say was too low, is virtually identical to the 5% pay rise announced by the Department for Education in England last July.
Here's how much teachers get paid in Wales for the 2022/23 academic year (2021/22 figure in brackets):
Classroom teachers
Main range:
M2: £28,866 (£27,491)
M3: £31,184 (£29,699)
M4: £33,587 (£31,987)
M5: £36,232 (£34,506)
Max M6: £39,873 (£37,974)
Upper range:
U1 min: £41,337 (£39,368)
U2: £42,869 (£40,827)
U3 max: £44,450 (£42,333)
Experienced teachers can qualify to become lead practitioners
Salary range: £45,303 to £60,870
Teachers in leadership roles with salary scales depending on the size of school
Salary range £51,000 to £125,211
Teaching and learning responsibilities (TLRs) - these reward additional leadership and management responsibilities undertaken by classroom teachers
Payment 1: £8,859-£14,990
Payment 2: £3,071-£7,497
Payment 3 (fixed term): £611-£3,028
Additional learning needs allowances (ALNs)
£2,426-£4,786
A Welsh Government spokesperson said in response to the planned strikes: "We understand and respect the feelings expressed in these ballots for industrial action. The minister for education and Welsh language will be meeting with teaching and headteacher unions later this week to discuss the outcome of ballots.
"In Wales we value social partnership and we continue to meet the trade unions regularly to discuss a range of issues affecting the workforce."
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