The government needs to take action on pay if it wants to stop the teacher recruitment and retention crisis turning into a “catastrophe”, a union leader has told teachers.

Addressing the last ever NUT conference today, Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, also told members that they did not have to wait for a national ballot to take action on pay and workload.

His speech came at the end of a conference that saw the union take steps towards industrial action over pay, as well as exploring action to disrupt and stop the government piloting the baseline assessment of children in Reception.

Mr Courtney said the union would commit “significant resources” to its campaign against primary school testing, adding: “On baseline, our campaign with the More Than a Score coalition is growing.

“With our motions passed this conference, we will commit significant resources to this campaign. And we need your help; this campaign must win. And it can win.”

He added: “Baseline is unloved. It is a test without a future.”

Mr Courtney told the conference that the government was “on the back foot over teacher workload”.

He added: “Now is the time for us to press them much harder. [Education secretary] Damian Hinds could introduce the motions we passed at this conference, a limit on teacher working hours. He should introduce it. So then heads would have to talk to teachers about what really matters and teachers could start to get back professional control.”

He added that the education secretary would have to “act on pay” if he wanted to do something about teacher recruitment.

He said: “If he wants to stop it turning into a catastrophe, then he will have to act on pay as well.”

Mr Courtney told delegates: “As [joint NEU general secretary] Mary [Bousted] said to you on Saturday afternoon, if he doesn’t act, then the National Education Union is big enough to act. I’m going to speak to ATL Conference on Monday and I will give the same message there.”

He told teachers: “But no one should feel they have to wait for a national ballot. We can all be taking action on workload and pay now.

“Divisions are running workload charter campaigns, school groups are taking action, with union backing to refuse triple marking, photographic evidence - and all with the implied backing of the head of Ofsted.

“In September, we will launch a national campaign to drive down teacher workload; we will arm all members, reps and officers with brilliant materials backed up by regional officers and organisers. We are determined that our campaign will end the overworking of the teaching profession and we will not rest until it does.”