Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union have
accepted the STRB pay recommendation for 2023/24.
77.6% of members who responded to the Union’s consultative survey
indicated they were willing to accept the recommendation of the
STRB for a 6.5% pay award for teachers and school leaders in
England.
However, just 18.4% of members responding to the survey said that
the commitments announced by the Government to tackle excessive
workload and working hours were sufficient. Over 18,000 members
responded to the survey.
The NASUWT will be responding to the Government on the pay award
and the Government’s response to the STRB Report, and to discuss
matters for the resolution of its dispute.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary,
said:
“The prospect of NASUWT members taking coordinated strike action
this autumn has forced the Government to accept the STRB pay
recommendation and ensure that all schools receive additional
funding to deliver it.
“Teachers and headteachers should benefit from more money in
their pockets at a time when they are struggling with rising
interest rates, rocketing rents and mortgages and persistent high
inflation.
“Whilst NASUWT members are willing to accept the STRB pay award
recommendation, they do not believe that it is sufficient redress
for the impact of more than a decade of real-terms pay cuts,
where the value of teachers’ pay has declined by 25%.
Furthermore, our members do not agree that sufficient action is
yet being taken to address their concerns over excessive workload
and long working hours.
“We have today written to the Education Secretary calling on the
Government to do more to address our members’ demands for pay
restoration and immediate action to tackle excessive workload and
long working hours.
“We have also made clear to Ministers that our members expect the
Government to act on all the advice it has received from the
independent pay review body.
“The latest STRB report endorsed calls from employers and unions
to abandon the outdated system of performance related pay on the
grounds that it is unfair, divisive and discriminatory. Our
members expect that a Government that says it has accepted the
STRB’s report to act with integrity, follow the advice from the
pay review body, and scrap the system of PRP.
“Our members also want to see Ministers delivering swiftly on
their commitments to tackle workload and excessive working time.
“Teachers and headteachers are already working excessive hours in
breach of the statutory Working Time Regulations. This simply
cannot be allowed to continue. A statutory working time limit
would help keep more teachers and headteachers in the job.
“In schools across the country, the NASUWT will be taking action,
up to and including industrial action, to tackle excessive
workload and working hours and to protect the health, safety and
welfare of our members at work.”
