A teaching union is warning the Welsh government it must “get around the table” if it wants to avert strike action.
NASUWT Cymru has issued formal notices to Jeremy Miles, the minister for education, local authorities and employers in Wales that it is in dispute over the failure to confirm a pay award of 12 per cent for all teachers for this year.
The union says the Welsh government has failed to respond to its calls for negotiations and accused it of employing “tactics of dodge and delay”.
Unless an immediate programme of pay restoration is confirmed, NASUWT Cymru says it will have no alternative other than to launch a ballot of members for industrial action.
The Welsh government announced in July that as of September all teachers would receive a 5 per cent uplift, but NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach described that as “an insult” given high rates of inflation.
He said: “Teachers need and deserve a fully funded real terms pay award, which will begin the process of restoring salary levels.
“The failure to invest in teachers will only further undermine the recruitment and retention of teachers and the continued provision of high-quality education for children and young people.
“Ministers have failed to respond to our calls for negotiations and, once again, we are calling on the government to get around the table to find a solution in order to avert potential industrial action.”
Dr Roach added: “The government and employers cannot continue to engage the tactics of dodge and delay to the detriment of our members’ pay and living standards.”
Neil Butler, the NASUWT national official for Wales, said: “Teachers are continuing to pull out all the stops to be there for their pupils while continuing to see the demands on them increase and their pay fall year on year in real terms.
“They are tired of being taken for granted by this government and we believe they are ready to take industrial action if they do not see an immediate commitment on pay.”
A Welsh government spokesperson said: ”The agreed annual process for teacher pay is ongoing and we hope all sides will continue to actively engage as it develops.”
