Teachers in Bolton have called off strike action  - for now - as they enter talks with the Government over pay and conditions.

Members of union  are pausing strike action after the government has agreed to talks focusing on teacher pay, conditions and workload reduction.

The strikes began in February and were organised by the National Education Union (NEU), formed by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

The teachers' unions have been demanding a fully funded, inflation proof pay increase for all teachers.

The unions said that teachers were overworked and underpaid, and that this was leading to a crisis in the education system.

Robert Poole, a secondary school teacher from Bolton and member of the NEU, spoke about why the unions had decided to pause the strike: "We are encouraged by the government's commitment to address our demands for fair pay and better working conditions.

“We believe that this is a positive step towards ensuring that teachers and support staff are able to provide the best possible education for our students.

“While we have decided to pause our strike action for now, we will continue to monitor the government's progress and will take further action if necessary."

The government agreed to address the demand from teachers after several days of strike action by the NEU with the government previously refusing to enter into negotiations.

Mr Poole added: "We are pleased that the government has listened to our concerns and has finally agreed to start discussing them.

"We believe that this is a much needed step towards improving the education system in the UK, and we will continue to work to ensure that our students receive the best possible education - but this requires adequate funding."

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