Teachers' pay erosion must end says NASUWT

Commenting on the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spending Review plans on public sector pay, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT - The Teachers’ Union, said: 

“We welcome the overdue announcement of the Chancellor’s intention to end his government’s pay freeze on teachers’ salaries next year, but we cannot overlook that this is a pay freeze that should not have been inflicted in the first place. 

“For the last 19 months, teachers have been serving on the front line, risking their health to maintain education and support for the country’s children and young people. The government should have rewarded teachers for their efforts, but instead they froze their pay and exacerbated the crisis of low morale, recruitment, and retention. 

“To add insult to injury, the Treasury attempts to justify this decision with the tenuous claim that a pay freeze for teachers was necessary to maintain “fairness”. The reality is that teachers have already faced a 17% erosion to their pay over the last decade under the Treasury’s own watch.

“For those who have already been pushed out of the profession by stifled pay and rising costs of living, this announcement will have come too little and far too late. To prevent further damage, teachers’ pay must be increased to finally reflect the true value of the highly qualified and experienced professionals within the education sector.”