Joint union statement shows wide consensus on teacher pay 

The education unions ASCL, Community, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU are today publishing a joint submission to the consultation on the School Teachers' Review Body report on teacher pay and the Government's proposals for implementation of the STRB's recommendations. The consultation closes tomorrow. Our full response is attached.   

The joint union response to the STRB report underlines the consensus in the profession on the key pay issues. The unions call on the Government to change its damaging policies and instead properly reward teachers and school leaders for the essential job they do, and to fund schools for those pay awards. 

With inflation at its highest for more than forty years, the Government is seeking to impose huge real-terms cuts on teachers and school leaders. This will add to the real-terms pay cuts already inflicted on the profession since 2010 and will deepen the already critical recruitment and retention problems. The result will be more damage to our education system.   

Investing in teacher pay and conditions is essential to the country's economic success. Instead of pay cuts, we need urgent action from the Government to protect teacher and school leader living standards and restore the pay lost in real terms since 2010. This, along with action to reduce workload and implement fair pay arrangements instead of unfair performance-related pay, is essential to protect education.