The National Education Union (NEU) has initiated an indicative ballot today, February 28, 2024, to gauge members’ willingness to strike over issues related to teacher pay, workload, and school funding. The ballot will remain open until April 17, 2024, as the union seeks to address what it describes as a “severe crisis” in the education system.
NEU General Secretary Daniel Kebede expressed grave concerns, stating, “Schools are running on empty.” He criticized the government’s expectation that schools could fund a 6.5 percent pay increase over three years from existing budgets, calling it “simply not possible.” Kebede added that the Treasury’s claims of potential efficiencies in school funding have made it “a laughing stock,” pointing to chronic underfunding from successive governments as the root cause of the current crisis.
The challenges facing schools are manifold. Kebede highlighted issues such as outdated equipment, damaged furniture, and worn-out textbooks. He noted that years of unmet recruitment targets have exacerbated the situation, resulting in increased workloads for existing staff and a high turnover rate without adequate replacements. This lack of funding has led to fewer teaching assistants and larger class sizes, directly impacting the quality of education.
The Department for Education (DfE) has recommended a 6.5 percent pay increase for teachers over the next three years. The NEU is now asking its members to vote on whether they reject this proposal and whether they are prepared to take industrial action to secure an above-inflation pay increase, reduce workloads, and ensure adequate funding to avert redundancies in schools.
A survey conducted by the NEU in January revealed that seven in ten teachers feel their schools lack sufficient funding to provide essential services for students. The NEU, the largest teaching union in the UK, announced this indicative ballot in November 2023, following the autumn budget discussions.
In recent years, teachers have seen incremental pay increases: 4 percent for the academic year 2025/26, following increases of 5.5 percent in 2024/25 and 6.5 percent in 2023/24, which were implemented after the NEU went on strike. Despite these raises, the National Foundation for Educational Research has found that starting salaries for teachers have only returned to levels seen in the 2010/11 academic year when adjusted for inflation. Moreover, the growth in starting salaries from 2010/11 to 2025/26 has lagged behind average earnings growth during the same period.
As the indicative ballot progresses, the NEU is poised to take significant steps towards addressing the pressing issues in education funding and teacher compensation. The outcome may set the stage for further industrial action if the concerns of educators remain unaddressed.
