Bolton teachers take strike action over pay and conditions

Picket lines to raise awareness of the reasons why teachers are striking will be staged outside a number of schools

National Education Union (NEU) members will go to a rally in Manchester at 1pm

The NEU had said it was “prepared to recommend a pause to strikes”, but only if a “serious proposal” was made to end the dispute.

Strikers heading to Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester (Image: Newsquest)

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan had written to teaching unions inviting them to “formal talks on pay, conditions and reform” on the condition that today's strike action is cancelled.

Read more: 'Half of Bolton's schools shut' as teachers go on strike over pay

Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said that it was  "completely disingenuous to suggest that we are not willing to enter talks with Government".

“We are absolutely ready to come to talks. What we cannot accept are pre-conditions which require us to pause strike action before we have made any progress through negotiations to resolve this dispute.”

Members of Unite standing in solidarity with teachers at the picket line outside The Sixth Form Bolton (Image: UGC)

Bolton NEU official, Julia Simpkins, said: “We’ve got a similar number of pickets to the last strike.

“We will then be rallying in Manchester afterwards at 1pm.”

Read more: Bolton schools shut as teachers walk out to 'fight for children's future'

She continued: “Some people have been suggesting that we might not have the support of the general public anymore, that it might be waning, but I don’t think that’s true.

Bolton District NEU members at the march at St Peter's Square in Manchester (Image: Newsquest)

“I think parents, like teachers, want a good education service that works for our children.

“The government have started having talks with the teaching unions, but at the same time they have put forward a suggestion of a 3 per cent wage increase.

“That is going to be below inflation and again it’s not funded. That’s the main point really, is that any raise of our salaries has to be funded.”

Read more: 'We've been pushed into this!': Bolton teachers to join strikes as dates revealed

The strike follows the one held at the beginning of February, which saw multiple schools in Bolton fully and partially close.

Picketers outside St Joseph's RC High in Horwich earlier in February (Image: Newsquest)

The schools which will have picket lines are:

Kearsley Academy

Kings Leadership Academy

Sharples High School

Smithills School

St Catherine’s Academy

St Joseph’s RC High School, Horwich

The Sixth Form Bolton

Turton High School

Westhoughton High School