Teachers to stage fresh strikes in dispute over pay

Schools across Scotland and the north of England will face disruption today

Tens of thousands of teachers across England, Wales and Scotland will strike over three days this week in the long-running dispute over pay.

Today, teachers will walk out across the north of England, with the majority of schools expected to either restrict access to some pupils or fully close, the National Education Union (NEU) has said.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has called strike action “unforgivable”, adding that children deserve to be in class, especially after the pandemic.

Meanwhile, many schools around Scotland will also be shut today, as members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and NASUWT unions walk out for two days over their long-running pay dispute.

It comes after EIS members took three days of “targeted” strike action in four areas represented by key politicians, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, last week and follows national strike action involving several unions in January and late last year.

Then tomorrow (Wednesday), teacher members of the NEU are set to strike in the Midlands and eastern regions in England, and further walkouts will take place across Wales and the south of England on Thursday.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: “I think across the three days we will have 200,000 members taking strike action.”

The country’s largest education union has had 50,000 new sign-ups since the strikes were announced six weeks ago, he added.

Published: 28/02/2023 by Radio NewsHub