A school leaders’ union has called off its ballot for strike action after voting to accept the government’s 6.5 per cent pay award for all teachers and leaders in England.
The Association of School and College Leaders launched the first national strike ballot in its 150-year history last month over the erosion of pay and conditions, teacher shortages and the inadequacy of school funding.
But 87 per cent of members who took part in a ballot on a new pay deal - which was announced last week - voted to back the offer. Less than half (46 per cent) of eligible members responded.
ASCL’s strike ballot was set to close later this month.
The other three main teaching and school leaders’ unions are currently running electronic ballots of members over the pay award announced last week.
Under the terms of the offer announced by the Department for Education, teachers and leaders would receive a 6.5 per cent pay rise from September 2023.
The award was more than the DfE had originally proposed in February (3.5 per cent) but for the second year is less than the “fully funded, inflation-plus pay increase” demanded by teaching unions.
And the decision was in line with the recommendations from the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).
All four education unions - the NASUWT and NEU teaching unions, the NAHT school leaders’ union and ASCL - recommended that members accept the pay award.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, said: “The strength of feeling demonstrated by holding our industrial action ballot, alongside similar action by colleagues in other education unions, has been instrumental in achieving the settlement to this dispute.”
Mr Barton said he was “confident” the union would have achieved the 50 per cent turnout threshold if the strike ballot had continued, with turnout at 47 per cent as of yesterday.
“While the settlement is a step in the right direction, it is not sufficient on its own to address the crisis in teacher recruitment and retention or the funding pressures being experienced by schools and colleges,” Mr Barton said.
“It is of critical importance that this settlement is the starting point and that there is an ongoing commitment from the government to provide the resources and investment needed to ensure the sustainability of the education sector and its capacity to deliver the quality of education and support that all children and young people need and deserve.
“We will continue to press the government for action on these issues in the future and, while we hope that it will not again be necessary to initiate a ballot for industrial action, this is something that we are prepared to do as a last resort in order to secure a fair deal for education.
“However, our first recourse is always to find solutions through discussion and negotiation and we look forward to working with the government in this way, as we have always sought to do, in the future.”
All four unions rejected an earlier offer made by the DfE of a £1,000 non-consolidated payment for 2022-23 and an average 4.5 per cent rise for 2023-24.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are pleased that ASCL members recognise the fair and reasonable pay award recommended by the independent pay review body that recognises the hard work of teachers and leaders.
“Teachers will get a 6.5 per cent pay award beginning in September, and starting salaries are now at least £30,000. This is alongside a further £2 billion investment in our schools next year, taking school funding to its highest level in history.
“We hope this takes us closer to ending disruption for parents and children and allows us to work together to focus on what really matters, giving our children the best education possible.”
