NEU calls for 7% teacher pay rise

Union calls for teacher pay rise in England to match Scottish increase and blames the recruitment crisis on poor pay
20th January 2020, 2:11pm

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NEU calls for 7% teacher pay rise

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/neu-calls-7-teacher-pay-rise
Teacher Pay: Neu Calls For Pay Rise

The NEU teaching union has called for a 7 per cent pay rise for teachers, as well as a timetable for further above-inflation increases beyond 2020.

The demands were included in the union’s evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).


Background: Average teacher pay ‘falls by nearly £3K over 7 years’

News: ‘Invisible’ NEU risks ‘withering on vine’

Opinion: ‘The NEU has become irrelevant to most teachers’ lives’

Related: Document warns that NEU must change to survive


Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the union, said: “The NEU evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body calls for an increase of 7 per cent to teacher pay in England in September, matching the 7 per cent awarded to teachers in Scotland last year. 

“The 7 per cent increase, which must be fully funded by the government and paid to all teachers, is essential to begin to reverse the major real-terms cuts to teacher pay by successive governments since 2010.  Urgent action is also needed to reduce teacher workload.”

The NEU hopes this increase will reverse “significant real-terms cuts” to teacher pay in recent years. Pay levels have contributed to the teacher recruitment crisis, according to union officials.

In a written statement, Mr Courtney said: “The attacks on teacher pay have contributed significantly to the severe and entrenched teacher recruitment and retention crisis, which is set out in detail in the NEU evidence to the STRB.”

“The national teacher pay structure has been dismantled, with performance-related pay imposed on teachers despite it being clear that PRP in teaching is unjustified and damaging.”

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