Teachers’ strikes have been among the most disruptive in the long list of walkouts that have affected everything from Britain’s railways to hospitals since last summer.
Thousands of schools throughout the country were closed or partially closed on Wednesday 1 February as staff in England and Wales took to the picket lines over pay and conditions, while teachers in Scotland have staged a series of regional strikes that have affected schools since the start of the year.
Widespread strike action is resuming this week, with an estimated 200,000 teachers in England and Wales set to take regional action over three days, and Scottish teachers to walk out across the country.
Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s teachers’ strike.
When are teachers on strike this week?
England and Wales
National Education Union (NEU) members in England will walk out on Tuesday 28 February in the North, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber, and Wednesday 1 March in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and East, while on Thursday 2 March teachers in London, the South East and the South West will strike.
In Wales, members of the same union are also set to strike on Thursday 2 March after postponing action on 14 February following talks with the Welsh Government.
Then on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 March, NEU members in England and Wales will take nationwide industrial action.
Union members are not required to inform their employers if they plan to strike. Schools will decide how to handle strike days in their region on an individual basis, and should contact parents and guardians in advance with arrangements.
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It is likely many schools will be forced to either close or partially close.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: “I think a majority of schools will be affected by the dispute – some of them with full closures and many more with partial closures.
“Some secondary schools will be completely closed, others will have particular year groups in and a similar pattern in lots of lots of primary schools.”
The Department for Education (DfE) had said on its Education Hub blog: “In the event of strike action at a school, the school leaders or local authority that manages the school will take all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible.”
It has published guidance in order to “minimise disruption to children and families”.
Scotland
In Scotland, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has planned two national strikes for Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 March, joined by the NASUWT .
The EIS is planning a further 20 days of rolling walkouts from 13 March until 21 April if a resolution has not been reached.
It has also planned regional strikes between Tuesday 7 and Thursday 9 March in parts of Glasgow, Dunfermline, Perthshire, East Dunbartonshire area, Mid Galloway and Wigtown West.
Why are teachers striking?
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, has said that teachers had only voted to strike “because they feel desperate”.
The NEU is demanding a pay rise for its members of 12 per cent, rather than the 3.5 per cent offered by the Government so far for most teachers.
Unions argue that teachers’ pay has fallen by almost a quarter in real terms since 2010, and that the profession faces a recruitment and retention crisis fuelled by low salaries.
The Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, said: “As a Government, we have made a serious offer to the leaders of the National Education Union and Royal College of Nursing: pause this week’s strikes, get round the table and talk about pay, conditions and reforms.
“It is hugely disappointing the NEU has thus far refused this serious offer and has not joined the Royal College of Nursing in calling off strikes.
“Instead of sitting round a table discussing pay, the NEU will once again cause disruption for children and families.
“Children deserve to be in school, and further strike action is simply unforgivable, especially after everything children have been through because of the pandemic.”
Mr Courtney said: “I think the Government is fundamentally mistaken in thinking that industrial relations are solved by telling people you can’t go on strike if you want to talk to us.
“We are willing to meet at any time, any place and we would really hope that she does meet with us after these regional strikes and comes up with something serious that is an offer that we can put to members.
“That’s what we would want in an ideal world, to find a solution that means we don’t go ahead with those strikes in March.”
