UK
Teachers plan co-ordinated strikes to shut as many schools as possible

Camilla Turner
Fri, January 6, 2023 

Rishi Sunak visits Harris Academy, in south-west London - A PRIVATE SCHOOL-

Teachers are planning to co-ordinate strikes to close as many schools as possible, The Telegraph can disclose.

Three of the UK’s major education unions will close ballots next week. If they reach the threshold required for industrial action, teachers will be the next major public sector group to walk out, causing havoc to children’s education.

“Unions obviously will talk to each other about strike dates and try to co-ordinate them. It makes sense to do this – there will be more impact,” said an education union source.

Teachers at any one school can belong to multiple different unions, meaning co-ordinated strike action would make it more likely that entire schools would close.

Meanwhile, junior doctors are threatening to strike for three days in March if a ballot opening on Monday is in favour of industrial action.

It comes as Rishi Sunak summoned union chiefs to Whitehall on Monday in a bid to break the deadlock over crippling strikes.

The Prime Minister said he wanted to have a “grown-up, honest conversation” with union bosses about reaching a “responsible, reasonable and affordable” pay deal.

The National Education Union (NEU) has told its 300,000 members that they have until Saturday to post their ballot papers to ensure they arrive before the deadline.

Members of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers and the National Association of Head Teachers are also voting, with all ballots closing by next Friday.

“Once we have the ballot result we will be able to declare what the pattern of action would be,” a union source told the Telegraph. “We would speak to each other – you would expect that.”

The source argued that this would actually be better for parents because it would mean only having to organise childcare on a limited number of days, adding: “The problem with doing it on different dates is that it can create more disruption. The last people we want to disrupt are parents and children.”

The results of the teaching union ballots are expected to come down to the wire as postal strikes have held up the arrival of many ballots papers, The Telegraph revealed last week.

Ministers have angered teachers in the final days of balloting by announcing plans to make all pupils in England study maths until the age of 18 without any policies to solve a shortage of maths teachers.

The Government has also faced a backlash over plans to introduce a new law that would keep schools open during strikes with minimum service levels.

Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the NEU, said the law would create “a situation where you have a right to strike but no meaningful way to do it.” Geoff Barton, of the Association of School and College Leaders, accused ministers of “sabre-rattling”.

On Friday night, there were signs the Government was preparing to soften its stance on public sector pay rises.

Letters sent to health unions by the Health Secretary said the Government was prepared to discuss its recommendations for next year’s pay round and to improve upon them if unions agree to changes to boost productivity and efficiency.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, made a new and improved offer to the Aslef train drivers’ union of eight per cent over two years. The offer, signed off by the Department for Transport, would take the average train driver salary from £60,000 to £65,000.