Online indicative ballot on pay, funding and workload
The situation in our schools is dire. After more than a decade of under-investment, education is running on empty. Buildings are crumbling, resources are scarce and staff shortages are driving sky-high workloads. In this context, the government should be taking urgent action to improve funding and stem the crisis in recruitment and retention. But instead, ministers are proposing to give teachers a paltry 6.5 per cent pay rise over three years. This does nothing to address the average 20 per cent fall in real terms pay since 2010. To add insult to injury, any pay award will have to come from existing budgets – meaning more cuts, fewer staff, larger classes and more work. And government has signalled that it may remove the limit of 1,265 hours when teachers can be directed to work in school. This is completely unacceptable. Like teachers, support staff have seen years of falling real-terms pay and increasing workload. Support staff are often the first in line when redundancies are made. Our schools have had years of underfunding. Per pupil spending is its lowest level since 2010 and below what comparable countries spend. The result is not just poor pay, but a lack of resources, crumbling schools, inadequate SEND provision and so much more. In response, the NEU will open an online indicative ballot for both teachers and support staff to ask members if they are prepared to fight for improved funding for schools to cover pay awards, to stop workloads rising and to prevent redundancies. Please vote in the indicative ballot to make sure that your voice is heard and make sure all your colleagues also vote to Save Education. |
