School strikes could be staged as early as the autumn if the Government’s final pay and funding offer is not increased, the leader of a teaching union has suggested.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), the largest education union in the country, said the union could potentially hold a formal ballot over strike action in the summer.
Delegates at the NEU’s annual conference in Harrogate voted to launch a formal strike ballot if the final outcome of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) process “remains unacceptable” – or if the Government does not announce real-terms funding increases in the spending review in June.
A motion, passed at the union’s conference on Tuesday, said the Government’s recommended 2.8% pay rise for September was “inadequate and unfunded”.
It came after a majority of NEU teacher members in England who took part in a preliminary ballot said they would be willing to take strike action to secure a fully-funded, significantly higher pay award.
Speaking to the media, Mr Kebede said there were “two main trigger points” – the Government’s response to the STRB report and the spending review in June – before the union’s executive considers the “next steps”.
When asked when would be the earliest the NEU could go on strike, Mr Kebede said: “If we’re looking at June for the spending review’s conclusion, a ballot process would potentially open up after that.
“These are not quick so you would be looking (at) autumn term.”
In its evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) in December, the Department for Education (DfE) said a 2.8% pay rise for teachers in 2025/26 would be “appropriate” and would “maintain the competitiveness” of teachers’ pay despite the “challenging financial backdrop” the Government is facing.
The Government has yet to publish the recommendations of the teachers’ pay review body, or its decision on whether to accept them.
When asked if strikes could be held as early as September, Mr Kebede said: “We will have to wait and see. Obviously we really want to avoid strike action.”
The NEU leader told the press on Tuesday said: “I really hope this Government listen to that indicative ballot and take the necessary steps to avoid a confrontation with the teaching profession.”
He added: “I’m in conversations with other unions all the time, not just in education but also health, where there are great concerns around 2.8% pay awards being made this year.”
The NEU held an indicative ballot of its members, on the Government’s recommendation of a 2.8% pay award for teachers in England for 2025/26.
Overall, 93.7% of NEU teacher members in state schools in England who responded to the preliminary electronic ballot voted to reject the Government’s recommendation of a 2.8% pay rise – and 83.4% said they would be willing to take action to secure an increased pay award.
But only 47.2% of those eligible to vote took part in the indicative ballot – which is below the legal threshold of 50% turnout.
When asked whether he was concerned about the turnout, Mr Kebede said: “Over 100,000 teachers voted to take strike action.
“That is incredibly significant.
“If we are forced into a position because the Government has not accepted a pay review body recommendation above inflation, for example, and we are forced into a position of a formal ballot then we will be putting every ounce of resource into getting through those Tory thresholds.
“I’m very convinced that we would do that.”
He added: “Of course, we will be reaching out to parents in this process.
“But we also have an incredibly vibrant school cuts campaign that continues to have thousands of parents involved around the country because they understand as parents the crisis that’s existing in our schools.
“We want to work with parents to improve education for all children.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “With school staff, parents and young people working so hard to turn the tide on school attendance, any move towards industrial action by teaching unions would be indefensible.
“Following a 5.5% pay award in a hugely challenging fiscal context, I would urge NEU to put children first.”
Teachers in England received a fully funded 5.5% pay rise in September last year.
NEU members staged eight days of strike action in state schools in England in 2023 in a long-running pay dispute.
In July 2023, the Government agreed to implement the STRB’s recommendation of a 6.5% increase for teachers in England, and co-ordinated strike action by four unions was called off.
