Teachers told it is not 'right time to strike' as union to ballot members
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Teachers have been told it is "not the right time to strike" after the largest education union said it will ask its members to reject the government's pay rise offer. The National Education Union (NEU) will launch an indicative ballot of its members from 1 March until 11 April over the government recommendation of a 2.8% pay rise for teachers in England.
Speaking to Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy urged teachers not to strike, arguing that the new Labour government has taken "more action than the Conservative government took in the last 14 years". Politics latest: Reeves heading to China for economic talks despite pressure to cancel trip.
In an appeal to teachers, she said: "I know life has been very, very tough over recent years, but I'd urge them to think about the fact that in six months, we've taken more action than this Conservative government took in the last 14 years. "We've come forward with a pay offer to improve their living standards.
"But more than that, when I speak to teachers across the country, including at my little boy's school, what they want is to make sure that we relieve the pressures on teachers so that they can get back to the core job of teaching, so that they can deal with the children in front of them, particularly the post-COVID generation who have so many challenges.
