Strike action over pay has been suspended in Wales in the wake of an improved offer from the Welsh government, the NEU teaching union has announced.
Members of the NEU were due to strike on Tuesday 14 February - after walkouts over pay took place for the first time last week - but the strike has been postponed until 2 March to allow teachers’ views on the new offer to be gathered.
The best pay offer to date from the Welsh government had been 5 per cent, but now an improved offer of an extra 1.5 per cent is on the table, plus 1.5 per cent as a one-off payment.
It is similar to the offer made to health unions last week.
The Welsh government said it would fully fund the cost of the 3 per cent offer in 2022-23 - but discussions would continue with the Welsh Local Government Association around how the cost of the consolidated 1.5 per cent increase can be funded in future years “without impacting on school budgets”.
Speaking about the decision to suspend strike action, NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said the willingness of the Welsh government to engage in talks was “in stark contrast” to the position taken by Westminster and education secretary Gillian Keegan.
Teacher strike talks yield new pay offer
Mr Courtney added: “We have now had a series of discussions in Wales where the focus has been on resolving the dispute, resulting in the current offer of an additional consolidated award of 1.5 per cent this year, plus a non-consolidated lump sum of 1.5 per cent.
“Whilst the offer remains significantly below our members’ demands, and does not begin to address the real-terms cuts visited upon teachers since 2010, the union will consult with our branches and workplace representatives to secure the views of members in Wales.”
Mr Courtney said that “we will continue to press for a fully consolidated award and to seek an offer in respect of support staff members, who have also provided a clear mandate for action”.
Meanwhile, school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru said it would ballot its members over the new offer but would continue with industrial action short of a strike.
NAHT Cymru director Laura Doel said the offer did not “fully address the 22 per cent erosion of school leader pay in Wales since 2010”, but that it showed a “willingness on all sides to start to address the balance”.
She added that crucial to members’ consideration would be not just the offer of more money but the agreement to look at workload, and to reopen negotiations on pay for 2023-24.
Education and Welsh Language Minister Jeremy Miles said the decision not to proceed with strike action next week “is good news for pupils, parents, carers and staff”. He said that ”the new pay offer is the maximum we can afford”, adding: “The reality is, that if this year’s offer is rejected we will be unable to make any higher pay offer.”
