School leaders’ union opens national strike ballot for first time in its history
All state schools in England could be affected by walkouts in the autumn term if co-ordinated strike action by the four education unions goes ahead.
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Your support makes all the difference.A headteachers’ union has opened a ballot for strike action in England for the first time in its history.
A ballot for members of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) to vote on industrial action over the issues of pay and conditions, school funding and teacher shortages was launched on Monday.
If members vote for strike action, the ASCL will be able to carry out walkouts up until the end of January 2024.
It comes as teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) in England are set to stage fresh strikes on July 5 and 7 in a dispute over pay.
All state schools in England could be affected by walkouts in the autumn term if co-ordinated strike action by the four education unions goes ahead.
This is not a situation we ever envisaged being in, and the action being taken today is done with a heavy heart
The NEU, which has staged a series of strikes already this year, is currently balloting its teacher members in England to take further action in the autumn.
The NAHT and the NASUWT – which both failed to meet the mandatory 50% turnout threshold required for strikes in England in their last ballots – are also re-balloting their members in England.
The ASCL’s formal ballot for national strikes will close on July 31.
After intensive talks with the education unions, the Government offered teachers a £1,000 one-off payment for the current school year (2022/23) and an average 4.5% rise for staff next year.
But all four education unions rejected the offer.
The decision on teachers’ pay in England for next year has been passed to the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL, said: “This is not a situation we ever envisaged being in, and the action being taken today is done with a heavy heart.
“But the Government’s failure to address the growing crisis in education and their refusal to reopen formal negotiations and agree a meaningful settlement has left us with no other option.
“We will not stand idly by while inadequate funding, teacher shortages and other challenges continue to disrupt learning and impact negatively on school leaders, staff and pupils.
“That is why we are asking all eligible members to make their voices heard and #VoteForEducation.”
The four education unions have urged members to hold joint meetings on industrial action in schools this week to maximise ballot turnout.
On Tuesday, the ASCL, NAHT, NEU, the National Governance Association (NGA) and Unison will also stage a mass lobby of parliament, which will raise concerns about pay, funding, staff shortages and Ofsted.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Further strike action will cause real damage to pupil learning and even more disruption for parents right across the country.
“Thousands of schools are receiving significant additional funding as part of the extra £2 billion of investment we are providing for both 2023/24 and 2024/25 – which will take school funding to its highest level in history next year, as measured by the IFS.
“As part of the normal process, the independent School Teachers’ Review Body has submitted its recommendations to Government on teacher pay for 2023/24. We will be considering the recommendations and will publish our response in the usual way.”