Teachers will ballot if offer is ‘inadequate’

NEU union members during a vote at the conference (Pic: NEU on X)

Delegates at the NEU education union national conference in Harrogate voted on Tuesday to launch a ballot for strikes if Labour’s pay offer “remains unacceptable”. Labour recommended a pay award of 2.8 percent to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).

The body, which is officially independent of government, will make a formal pay recommendation within the next few months.

NEU members passed a motion that instructs the union to “launch a formal industrial action ballot” if certain conditions are met.

These are “if the final outcome of the STRB process remains unacceptable or if the government does not announce real terms funding increases in the June spending review”. “A fully-funded, above inflation pay rise for educators is necessary,” it says.

Chris Denson who proposed the motion, told Socialist Worker, “Members were clear that we don’t have any choice but to take on the government. “Austerity has to be broken and the NEU has to be at the forefront of that.”

NEU members rejected Labour’s recommendation of a 2.8 percent pay increase by 94 percent in a consultative ballot, which saw a 47 percent turnout. And some 83 percent said they were willing to take industrial action.

The turnout of 47 percent was just shy of the 50 percent required under the Tories’ Trade Union Act 2016. That turnout can be driven up in a formal ballot by a campaign that taps into anger over pay, working conditions and funding.

Chris argued that if activists focus their efforts on delivering the ballot “then we can do it”.

“We must recruit and speak to as many reps as possible,” he said. “Every day we need to be living and breathing the ballot.”

Rebecca Cann, an NEU member from Staffordshire, told Socialist Worker, “We need to fight. Conference saw the need to push for a ballot that so many members are asking for. We need to throw everything we can into building for it.”

Pablo Phillips, joint branch secretary for Waltham Forest NEU in east London, argued that activists must contact reps immediately and organise meetings about the ballot.

A wrecking amendment that wanted to change the language from “launch” a formal ballot to “examine launching” was overwhelmingly defeated.

Teacher Lucy Cox said, “Things are hard in our schools. We don’t have the luxury now to examine or consider.” She added that a rep sat next to her in the conference hall was “stoked” about fighting back.

The mood to fight was on display in a rank and file fringe meeting of up to 200 people on Monday night. It was called by the Educators Say network.