A Welsh-medium teachers' union is balloting members for possible strike action in a row over pay and conditions. UCAC said it rejected the Welsh Government's below-inflation 5% pay offer and a ballot will open next month.
At the same time the NEU Cymru teaching union on Tuesday said it has written to education minister Jeremy Miles and local education authorities warning it will ballot its members unless an above-inflation increase is offered. Inflation is currently running near to double figures.
The Nasuwt and Association of School and College Leaders Cymru have also threatened to ballot their members over pay in the next few weeks but UCAC is the first to actually do so with its ballot opening on November 21. UCAC general secretary Ioan Rhys Jones said his members are willing to take action as a last resort after years of pay erosion which is affecting children's education.
Read more: The strikes and industrial action that could hit schools and universities in Wales
Mr Rhys Jones said staff shortages in Wales mean pupils are not getting the best education they should while the NEU Cymru said children are being "failed". UCAC and the NEU Cymru warned teachers are leaving the profession, fewer people are training to be teachers, and there is a national shortage of supply cover – often as a result of pay and conditions.
Mr Rhys Jones said low teacher pay awards over many years means children are no longer getting the best education in some cases because people are leaving for better-paid jobs and the best recruits may be looking for jobs elsewhere. He knew of pupils in Welsh-medium schools without specialist subject teachers for eight or nine months because there weren't any. It would be also be hard for the Welsh Government to meet its target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050 without addressing the pay, recruitment, and training of Welsh-medium teachers and the profession in general, he added.
"We are disappointed the Welsh Government’s offer does not reflect inflation rates neither does it represent our teachers’ dedication and commitment. Currently the profession is facing working conditions which are increasingly challenging alongside rising living costs," Mr Rhys Jones said.
"We are facing notable challenges in terms of retaining teachers and recruiting new members to the profession. The decision whether to take industrial action is not easy for our teachers who are genuinely concerned about their pupils’ wellbeing and success. In order to ensure that our children and young people receive education of the best possible standard it is crucial that teachers are fairly remunerated and have appropriate working conditions.”
The UCAC general secretary said he had "real concerns" about children's education. There was a lack of Welsh-medium science and maths teachers particularly and numbers of trainee teachers were down by as much as half on some courses.
"I am aware of A-level students without specialist teachers for eight or nine months. That is untenable. These are one-offs but it's becoming more prevalent. We don't have enough supply teachers let alone specialist teachers.
"Twenty years ago teaching was a profession that appealed but if wages go so far behind other industries we are not going to get the best. That's why children are not always getting the best – because we cannot recruit and retain the teachers we need."
He said constant changes and reforms as well as wage erosion have lowered morale in the profession as well as making it unattractive to graduates and new recruits. Around 3,000 of UCAC's members will be eligible to vote in the ballot.
"Teachers cannot do their best for their students if there is constant paperwork and changes. We support the new curriculum but it all means extra work.
"Wisely or not the Welsh Government is proposing changes to the school calendar. Lots of people are angry about that although some are supportive. The changes are constant and it is having an affect on morale."
The National Education also warned that it is likely to ballot its members in Wales on pay. David Evans, Wales secretary, said he had written to Mr Miles and councils demanding an above-inflation rise.
“NEU Cymru has written to the employers of members’ of this union, who are employed as teachers and support staff in maintained schools in Wales, advising that unless they vow to provide fully-funded pay increases to such staff at a rate greater than the rate of inflation as of September 2022 we will be formally balloting our members for strike action.
"We have simultaneously written to Jeremy Miles MS, Minister for Education and Welsh Language, urging him to work with the employers and instigate a fully-funded pay award to avoid the possibility of strike action. We remain ready to meet with the minister, employers, and their teams regarding this issue. If we do not receive the necessary undertakings we will be looking at dates to ballot our members in each section.
“No-one wants to take strike action but education staff can no longer accept year after year of below-inflation pay increases which have had a major impact on the value of their pay. There are significant difficulties in recruiting and retaining education staff that are exacerbated by issues relating to pay.
“In 2020-21 29% of teachers leaving the profession were in their first five years of teaching. Welsh Government needs to act decisively if we are to attract and keep staff that will deliver the standard of education Wales aspires to.
“We urge the minister to take this matter seriously and to act urgently. Failure to do so will ensure that we have an understaffed education system that will fail children and young people. It is in the hands of the minister and the employers and we hope for a swift resolution.”
Inflation in the UK is now running at 9.9% according to latest data from the Bank of England. "We expect the rate of inflation to peak at 11% in October and then remain above 10% for a few months before starting to come down," the bank said in a release on September 23.
Teachers' pay is a devolved matter and Mr Miles has said he is minded to accept the recommendation from the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) for a 5% pay offer. Responding to possible ballots earlier this month a Welsh Government spokesman said at that time: “The agreed annual process for teacher pay is ongoing and we hope all sides will continue to actively engage as it develops." The Welsh Government was approached for further comment.
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