Commenting on the latest inflation
figures, Dr Mary
Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education
Union, said:
“RPI inflation hit 11% in April, its
highest in over 40 years. As prices rocket, the Government should
be valuing educators and protecting their living standards.
Instead, the Government plans pay increases for most teachers of
just 3% this year. On the basis of current RPI
inflation, that would mean another huge real terms cut to
pay - even bigger than the cut inflicted by last year's teacher
pay freeze and below-inflation increases for other educators
including support staff.
“Yet more real terms cuts to pay will
dismay educators who have contributed so much to the pandemic
response. Educators will be equally crucial to the recovery
from the pandemic, as they support our young people to develop
the skills the country needs. Pay in the wider economy is rising,
including private sector pay increases of over 8%. The
Government's attacks on educator pay and failure to address
sky-high workload will intensify the existing recruitment and
retention problems.
“The government could help, but
instead is making a deliberate political choice to hit the living
standards of public sector workers including
educators.
“If we are to value, recruit and
retain the educators we need the Government must fully fund pay
rises for all educators that at least match inflation. Anything
less will cause further huge damage to education, so valuing
educators properly is in the interests of parents and young
people as well as the educators who work so hard to delivery high
quality education.”
