Teachers in the NEU union on the streets of London on 1 February (Picture: Guy Smallman)
Tens of thousands of teachers have overwhelmingly thrown out the Tories’ pay offer and plan to strike on 27 April and 2 May.
NEU union members voted by 98 percent on a 66 percent turnout to reject it, more than voted to strike in the first place in England.
As the result was announced at the NEU national conference in Harrogate on Monday, delegates chanted, “Come on Gill, pay the bill.” Tory minister Gillian Keegan promised a one-off payment of £1,000 and 4.5 percent but to fund only 0.5 percent of it—meaning cuts to already underfunded school budgets.
Teacher Rebecca Cann told Socialist Worker, “The union has unequivocally expressed its outrage at the disgusting offer from this government. There is a growing strength among our members and within the working class to take on the grotesque wealth inequalities our colleagues and students have been plagued by.
“The Tories have sought to entrench division and powerlessness but it will backfire as they are only strengthening our resolve.”
Opening conference, NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted explained how the offer didn’t match teachers’ pay deals accepted in Wales and Scotland.
But, as NEU member Paul McGarr argued in Socialist Worker, workers shouldn’t look to accept similar deals. They hardly make a dent in a 13 percent real terms decline in wages for senior teachers since 2010.
It’s good that teachers are continuing the strikes, but it will take escalation to win.
A motion from the national executive said, “It is vital we plan a programme of escalating strike action, political lobbying and community campaigning”. It says the programme should “bring the maximum social weight to bear on the government throughout the summer term, and beyond.
“Escalation would either involve a greater number of consecutive days than previously or more frequent strikes.”
Leigh Seedhouse, NEU national executive member, told Socialist Worker, “We must continue to put pressure on the government through escalating our industrial action over the coming terms.
“We need to begin the process of reballoting our members to extend our mandate, our voices must be heard and we are ready to continue the fight. With more people voting to reject this offer than in the initial strike ballot, it shows that teachers are angry.”
Daniel Kebede has won the race to be the next NEU general secretary, succeeding Kevin Courtney and Mary Bousted,
He won a thumping 28,636 votes compared to 12,918 for the right wing candidate Niamh Sweeney. Socialist Worker supporters supported Kebede’s campaign.
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