Fresh strikes from militant teaching union means millions of pupils could miss out on end-of-year school trips
- Millions of pupils could miss out on end-of-year trips as teachers strike again
- Read more: Members of the National Education Union announce strikes in July
A militant teaching union is set to plunge schools across the country into chaos with another two days of strikes.
Millions of pupils face yet more misery after the National Education Union (NEU) last night escalated its long-running dispute over pay.
Hardline union chiefs yesterday agreed a fresh wave of walkouts on July 5 and 7. The action means millions of pupils could miss out on end-of-year trips.
NEU members in England have held three regional and five national strike days since February, causing huge disruption to families.
The Department for Education last night warned that further strike action ‘will cause real damage to pupil learning and even more disruption for parents right across the country’.
Striking members of the National Education Union (NEU) South East Region at a rally in Chichester, West Sussex, in a long-running dispute over pay on March 2
Striking members of the National Education Union (NEU) on Piccadilly march to a rally in Trafalgar Square (picture from March 15)
Confirming the new wave of strikes, NEU joint general secretaries Kevin Courtney and Mary Bousted said: ‘Time and again the NEU, alongside its sister unions have called for the Education Secretary to get around the negotiation table to settle this dispute for a fully funded teacher pay increase.
‘Time and again our calls have fallen on stony ground.’
The union is currently re-balloting its members to see if they want to continue taking industrial action for the rest of the calendar year.
In potentially another major escalation, the NEU and three other teaching unions are contemplating co-ordinating strikes in a bid to close every state school in England this autumn.
Up to 400,000 headteachers and school staff could walk out together if the NEU, NAHT, NASUWT and ASCL unions successfully ballot for more strikes.
In a bid to break the deadlock, the Government has offered teachers a £1,000 one-off payment for the current school year and an average 4.5 per cent rise for staff next year.
The offer was labelled ‘insulting’ by the NEU.
