NASUWT statement on Welsh pay offer

Responding to the statement from the Education Minister on a pay and workload package for teachers in Wales, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said:

“Teachers will be concerned that the offer to pay additional money to teachers now must be honoured without strings attached.

“Teachers have seen the value of their pay plummet and are struggling with a cost-of-living crisis that is not of their making.

“The Minister’s offer to deliver an award to teachers on a without prejudice basis before the end of the financial year should mean that teachers will benefit from additional money today rather than empty promises of jam tomorrow.”

Neil Butler, NASUWT National Official Wales, said:

“The Minister must not seek to play fast and loose with the negotiating machinery that exists in Wales, and must ensure that the role of the independent pay review body is fully respected.

“The Minister had already agreed to a remit to the Review Body (IWPRB). That must be honoured.

“The offer of 5% for teachers’ pay for September 2023 must be a starting point for the IWPRB’s deliberations. Given that headline inflation is forecast to remain high by September, it is essential that the pay review body is now allowed to go to work on the remit.

“The NASUWT will not be blocking the provision of additional pay to teachers and we call on the Minister to act in the interests of the majority of the teaching profession and not continue to hold the profession to ransom.”