NASUWT members accept pay offer, but demand more action from the government

Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union have accepted the STRB pay recommendation for 2023/24.

77.6% of members who responded to the Union’s consultative survey indicated they were willing to accept the recommendation of the STRB for a 6.5% pay award for teachers and school leaders in England.

However, just 18.4% of members responding to the survey said that the commitments announced by the Government to tackle excessive workload and working hours were sufficient. Over 18,000 members responded to the survey.

The NASUWT will be responding to the Government on the pay award and the Government’s response to the STRB Report, and to discuss matters for the resolution of its dispute.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:

“The prospect of NASUWT members taking coordinated strike action this autumn has forced the Government to accept the STRB pay recommendation and ensure that all schools receive additional funding to deliver it.

“Teachers and headteachers should benefit from more money in their pockets at a time when they are struggling with rising interest rates, rocketing rents and mortgages and persistent high inflation.

“Whilst NASUWT members are willing to accept the STRB pay award recommendation, they do not believe that it is sufficient redress for the impact of more than a decade of real-terms pay cuts, where the value of teachers’ pay has declined by 25%. Furthermore, our members do not agree that sufficient action is yet being taken to address their concerns over excessive workload and long working hours.

“We have today written to the Education Secretary calling on the Government to do more to address our members’ demands for pay restoration and immediate action to tackle excessive workload and long working hours.

“We have also made clear to Ministers that our members expect the Government to act on all the advice it has received from the independent pay review body.

“The latest STRB report endorsed calls from employers and unions to abandon the outdated system of performance related pay on the grounds that it is unfair, divisive and discriminatory. Our members expect that a Government that says it has accepted the STRB’s report to act with integrity, follow the advice from the pay review body, and scrap the system of PRP.

“Our members also want to see Ministers delivering swiftly on their commitments to tackle workload and excessive working time.

“Teachers and headteachers are already working excessive hours in breach of the statutory Working Time Regulations. This simply cannot be allowed to continue. A statutory working time limit would help keep more teachers and headteachers in the job.

“In schools across the country, the NASUWT will be taking action, up to and including industrial action, to tackle excessive workload and working hours and to protect the health, safety and welfare of our members at work.”