Members of the largest teaching union in the UK have expressed willingness to resort to industrial action in pursuit of increased funding for schools. An indicative ballot conducted by the National Education Union (NEU) revealed that over 90% of participating members are open to taking such action.
Despite the strong sentiment, less than half of eligible teacher members cast their votes in the ballot, with a turnout of 48.6%. NEU General Secretary, Daniel Kebede, criticized the government’s perceived assault on schools, leading members to signal their readiness to take necessary measures to safeguard education.
The NEU initiated the indicative ballot on February 28, seeking input on potential strikes related to teacher pay, workload, and school funding. Criticism has been directed at the Department for Education’s (DfE) proposal of a 6.5% pay increase for teachers over the next three years.
In the ballot, NEU members were asked two key questions: whether they rejected the DfE’s pay rise offer and if they would be willing to engage in industrial action to address workload concerns and secure a pay increase above inflation. Nearly all respondents (96%) opposed the DfE’s pay rise proposition.
The NEU’s national executive is scheduled to convene next month to determine the next course of action. Additionally, support staff members within the union participated in a similar indicative ballot regarding potential industrial action concerning funding, workload, and redundancies.
Of those support staff members who voted, 86.5% expressed readiness to engage in industrial action, with a turnout of 55.5%. Kebede emphasized the strain on schools due to extensive funding cuts, resulting in resource shortages and heightened workload pressures.
Kebede highlighted the challenges faced by schools, including the scarcity of teaching assistants and subject specialists, and the absence of additional funds for staff pay. He warned of further cuts that could impact support staff jobs, subject choices, and basic resources, ultimately affecting the quality of education provided to students.
Kebede underscored the urgency of the situation, noting a growing disillusionment among teachers towards the Labour Party and affirming the NEU’s commitment to pursuing national strike action to safeguard school funding. Meanwhile, delegates at the NASUWT’s annual conference also endorsed a motion advocating for a national strike ballot if the government fails to allocate more funding to schools and special educational needs and disabilities (Send) while addressing teacher workload concerns.
Teachers received a 4% pay increase for the 2025/26 academic year, following a 5.5% rise in 2024/25 and a 6.5% increase in 2023/34 following previous strike actions by the NEU.
