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Hold-up is causing “anxiety across all schools” and
stoking mistrust
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Abandoning pay review body process risks “dragging out”
industrial disputes, union heads warn
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“Ball is firmly in the government’s court” to help end
strikes
The TUC and school unions have today (Tuesday) called on the
Education Secretary to stop delaying the publication of the
School Teacher Review Body (STRB) pay recommendations.
In a joint letter to the leaders of the TUC,
NEU, NASUWT, NAHT and ASCL warn that the ongoing hold-up is
causing huge anxiety:
“There is no good reason for any delay in their
publication.
“Further delay is leading to continuing anxiety across all
schools and frustrating head teachers and school leaders’ ability
to plan and manage already difficult budgets for the forthcoming
school year.”
Highlighting the damage being caused to industrial
relations and trust, the union leaders warn:
“Government briefings to the press about blocking public
sector pay rises, while refusing to properly negotiate with
education unions, risk worsening industrial relations and
dragging out the current dispute.
“In your letter to education unions, you state your reason
for refusing to do is to abide by the STRB process: “The issue of
teacher and leaders’ pay will now be determined through the usual
STRB process… The STRB process is well established and consistent
with other public sector pay review bodies.”
“It is therefore deeply worrying to read government now plan
to abandon the PRB process too, unnecessarily prolonging and
protracting the dispute.”
Calling for a resolution to the disputes, the unions
say:
“It is in everyone’s interest that the current dispute is
brought to a swift resolution. The ball is firmly in government’s
court. We urge you to publish the STRB recommendations without
delay and engage immediately in meaningful negotiations with
unions.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The full letter reads:
In your letter, you include a letter to education unions
(undated) in which you reference media speculation over the
recommendations made by the School Teacher Review Body (STRB)
which remain, at the time of writing, unpublished. There is no
good reason for any delay in their publication. Further delay is
leading to continuing anxiety across all schools and frustrating
Head teachers and school leaders’ ability to plan and manage
already difficult budgets for the forthcoming school year.
You will no doubt be aware that since your correspondence,
there has been further media speculation in The Times and
elsewhere that the government intend to reject the
recommendations of the STRB and impose yet another real-terms pay
cut on teachers and school leaders.
Government briefings to the press about blocking public
sector pay rises, while refusing to properly negotiate with
education unions, risk worsening industrial relations and
dragging out the current dispute.
In your letter to education unions, you state your reason for
refusing to do is to abide by the STRB process: “The issue of
teacher and leaders’ pay will now be determined through the usual
STRB process… The STRB process is well established and consistent
with other public sector pay review bodies.”
It is therefore deeply worrying to read government now plan
to abandon the PRB process too, unnecessarily prolonging and
protracting the dispute.
It is in everyone’s interest that the current dispute is
brought to a swift resolution. The ball is firmly in government’s
court. We urge you to publish the STRB recommendations without
delay and engage immediately in meaningful negotiations with
unions.
Paul Nowak, General Secretary, TUC
Kevin Courtney, Mary Bousted, Joint General
Secretaries, NEU
Patrick Roach, General Secretary,
NASUWT
Paul Whiteman, General Secretary, NAHT
Geoff Barton, General Secretary, ASCL
