Teachers preparing to walk out in a row over pay say they have been forced to strike with a funding and recruitment “crisis” hitting schools across Wales. The NEU has announced four separate days of strikes starting on February 1, which the union says will force a large number of schools to shut.
Explaining the “difficult decision” to vote to walk out of their classrooms, teachers from local authorities across Wales said they were striking to “save” an education system they described as being in crisis. They say talks have failed and they had no other choice.
Liz McLean, who works in Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn in Denbigh, said she loved her job but the 5% below inflation pay award was not enough. Teachers and support staff are leaving education because they can earn more working in shops.
Read more: Exact dates teachers plan to strike and schools may have to close
Teaching unions have been campaigning for months for a pay increase close to inflation, which is currently over 10%. They 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
Special need teacher Liz McLean said untrained cover staff are taking lessons because of the shortage of teachers in many schools across Wales. Some support staff cannot afford petrol to get to work and are using food banks, it's claimed.
“Voting to strike has been a really difficult decision for myself and many members of the NEU, but schools and education are in crisis. I have been teaching for 33 years and have never seen schools in such a precarious position,” said Liz, who is NEU district secretary for Denbighshire.
“Schools are not funded properly and there is a cost of living crisis. Schools can’t fund enough teachers so some classes are taught by cover supervisors who are not fully trained.
“You have a situation where youngsters are sitting exams without a qualified teacher to teach them - that’s criminal. I came into teaching because I loved it but it’s heart-breaking to see where we are.”
Liz estimated pay erosion and cost of living inflation meant she and others had lost around £60,000 in pay in real terms in the last 12 years. An NEU survey showed teachers average a working week of between 50 and 60 hours when after school clubs and class preparation was taken into account.
Across Wales, Hannah O’Neill, an art teacher at Ebbw Fawr Learning Community in Blaenau Gwent said striking sent a message that the situation was not sustainable. She said teachers felt they had no choice. “It has been a difficult decision, and it’s not just about pay. There is an education crisis and communities and parents need to be aware of the facts.
“Government has under funded education massively and that impacts children. Schools are struggling in the cost of living crisis and with the recruitment and retention crisis. We have teachers haemorrhaging out of the system and that has a massive impact.”
The NEU executive member for Wales said headteachers struggle to find qualified teachers for core subjects such as maths, English and sciences and schools are now staffed by a “high level” of supply staff and cover supervisors.
Pay erosion over many years, workload and pressure of reforms including the new curriculum, as well as the continued impact of Covid, has prompted many to leave the profession for easier and better paid jobs, she said.
“You hear horror stories of unqualified staff covering lessons without a clue. People are leaving the profession because they can earn more working in shops. We had a member of support staff leave this week for a better paid role in a delivery company. You hear horror stories of teachers who can’t afford mortgages and many are leaving within the first five years of starting in the profession.”
Hannah agreed children had already suffered the impact of classroom closures through the pandemic, but said exam years would be prioritised in the strikes. “I have exam classes and will be doing extra lessons after school to make sure pupils are properly equipped. We are not taking the impact of this on children lightly. We have to protect education and have to look at the bigger picture. The situation we are in can’t go on."
Mairead Canavan, who teaches ICT at a secondary school in the Vale of Glamorgan, also said exam years would get extra help on non-strike days. “The 5% is not enough and is not fully funded. That means schools have to fund part of it which will lead to redundancies that impact children’s education.
“We have been campaigning on pay and funding for years and the situation is dire now. People don’t want to strike, it’s the fault of government who did not negotiate. Children will be affected by the strike but it is a last resort.”
She said the profession is undervalued and “children are not getting the education they did”. “We are striking for the children and their education to ensure it does not deteriorate further,” said Mairead, who is an NEU executive member for Wales and Vale of Glamorgan NEU district secretary.
Headteachers in the NAHT Cymru have announced they will hold industrial action short of a strike from 1 February onwards. Members of the Nasuwt Cymru and UCAC teaching unions did not meet the legal 50% voting threshold to strike, but those who did ballot voted overwhelmingly for action.
David Evans, Wales Secretary of the NEU union, revelaed that the Welsh Government had offered unions a “one off non-consolidated payment” on Thursday afternoon ( Jan 19) but it was not enough to stop the strike and did not mean unions’ demands.
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