The general secretaries of all four major education unions have signalled their commitment to working together on the pay dispute by calling on schools to hold joint union staff meetings later this month to boost ballot turnout. 

The leaders of the four unions have written to members across the country, stating that that sector is ”now in a battle for the very future of education”.

It comes after the four education unions revealed plans to coordinate walkouts if members back industrial action in simultaneous ballots being held this term.

Three education unions - the NEU and NASUWT teaching unions and the NAHT school leaders’ union - are currently balloting members over strike action, with the Association of School and College Leaders opening its vote later this month. 

• Background: Heads and teachers to plan for joint strikes
• Strike ballot: NASUWT writes to Sunak as strike ballot launches
• Strikes: Call for talks as heads and teachers vote on autumn walkouts

In a letter sent to schools today, the general secretaries of all four unions said: ”We are all clear that we are now in a battle for the very future of education - stand with your colleagues and join us as we strive to bring about real change.

“Regardless of which union you are in, it is absolutely essential we all work together to ensure everyone eligible casts their vote.”

The letter calls for joint union staff meetings on industrial action to take place in the week beginning 19 June, by which time all unions’ ballots will have opened.

The general secretaries said: “We have worked incredibly hard to engage with the government on these issues and to try to find satisfactory solutions, but it simply refuses to listen.

“We believe that a mandate for industrial action across all of our unions is the only way we can get your voice heard.”

While the details of the union ballots vary, all four are balloting over teacher pay. 

“The education system has faced years of real-term pay erosion; a funding crisis; enormous recruitment and retention challenges; escalating workload and working hours; and an inspection system that is doing more harm than good,” the letter states. 

Earlier this year, the Department for Education made all four teaching unions - NASUWT, NEU, NAHT and ASCL - the offer of a £1,000 non-consolidated payment for 2022-23 and an average 4.5 per cent rise for 2023-24.

Of this, just 0.5 per cent of the overall 4.5 per cent pay award for next year, plus the £1,000 one-off payment for this year, would have come through new funding.

Last month, the recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) were leaked, revealing that the DfE had been told that teachers should receive a 6.5 per cent pay increase for 2023-24.

All four education unions have since written to the secretary of state for education, Gillian Keegan, calling for the government to formally publish the recently leaked pay recommendation made by the STRB and to urgently restart negotiations in the dispute over teacher and leader pay, and the funding of pay awards.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Further strike action would cause real damage to pupil learning and even more disruption for parents right across the country.

“As part of the normal process, the independent School Teachers’ Review Body has submitted its recommendations to the government on teacher pay for 2023-24 and we will publish our response in the usual way.

“Thousands of schools have received significant additional funding as part of the extra £2 billion of investment we are providing both this year and next, taking school funding to its highest levels in history by next year.”