England’s biggest teaching union is voting on whether to accept or reject the government’s 2.8 per cent pay offer.
If it is rejected, the union will debate at its conference in April whether to vote for industrial action, which could include strikes.
The National Education Union (NEU) described the government’s pay recommendation as “deeply disappointing”.
A spokesman for the Department for Education (DfE) described it as “an extraordinary decision” by the union.
NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said the current proposal of 2.8 per cent was “not even enough to address the recruitment and retention crisis”.
He added: “The suggestion that an unfunded salary award could be paid for by creating a ‘utility’ is an insult to a profession that has already endured 14 years of austerity.
“No teacher or leader will be able to identify excellence without cutting staff or resources or both.”
The ballot will open on March 1 and run until mid-April.
Responding to the announcement, a No 10 spokesman said “future pay awards must be fair to both taxpayers and workers”, and that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s inflation forecast for the year was 2.8%. is more
“As schools and families continue to do everything they can to improve attendance, and with millions of school days lost as a result of the pandemic and recent industrial action, union leaders need to think long and hard about what Whose interests are they putting first”, added the DfE
NEU members went on strike for eight days in 2023, which resulted in severe hardship for students and the closure of some schools.
The dispute ended when teaching unions accepted a 6.5% pay rise.
Teachers in England received a 5.5% pay rise last September, funded by an extra £1.2bn from the government.
However, the NEU is unhappy with next year’s recommendation.
The School Teachers’ Review Body, an independent body for teacher pay, will recommend a formal pay offer later this year.
The BBC understands that head teacher unions are likely to wait before making any decisions.
In a separate dispute, tens of thousands of students at sixth form colleges across England were affected by strike action on Thursday.
About 2,000 NEU members are taking part in the three-day walkout over pay.
September’s pay rise did not include teachers at sixth-form colleges, who the DfE says are responsible for setting their own pay.
Additional reporting by Hayley Clark.