Teachers in England to vote on striking over pay

Teachers in England to vote on striking over payJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHazel ShearingEducation correspondentGetty ImagesTeachers and school support staff in England will vote on whether or not to go on strike if the government stands by its pay recommendation for the next academic year.The National Education Union (NEU), England's largest teaching union, says it will hold a formal ballot in the autumn if the government "does not take urgent action".The government has recommended a 6.5% pay award spread over the next three years, but the NEU has said that is unlikely to match inflation and called it an "insult".The Department for Education said the NEU's announcement was "extremely disappointing", saying it would be children and parents that "pay the price" for any strike action.The NEU wants the pay offer for teachers to be above inflation, which has risen following the start of the Iran war.The Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation was 3.3% in the year to March, but the Bank of England warned it could increase still further this year following a "significant energy price shock".The teaching union also wants the government to fully fund pay rises so schools do not have to find money for them in existing budgets - and says the current recommendation is not enough.NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said "no member wants to be taking strike action", but pay and workload issues had fuelled a "recruitment and retention crisis that is directly impacting" education."Unfunded below-inflation pay increases are an insult. The government is well aware that schools do not have the money to fund them," he said."To avoid this collision course the government needs to step up and deliver the properly funded education system our children and young people deserve."A Department for Education (DfE) spokeswoman said: "Ultimately, it will be children, young p...