Rishi Sunak accepts recommendation for pay award for teachers

And now the PM has now urged unions to call off strike action after accepting recommendations for pay rises for millions of public sector workers.

Robert Poole, a teacher at Sharples School and an NEU member, said he welcomes the news, but teachers will continue to campaign to “ensure that teachers receive the pay and conditions they deserve”.

He said: “I am pleased to hear that the government has accepted the STRB's recommendation for a 6.5 per cent pay award for teachers and school leaders in England.

“This is a significant victory for our union and for all teachers who have fought for a fair pay rise.

“The 6.5 per cent pay award is a welcome step in the right direction, but it is important to remember that it is still a real terms pay cut.

“We still have a long way to go to make sure that teachers are properly rewarded for their hard work and dedication.

“The government's announcement also includes a three per cent funding uplift for schools.

“This is welcome news, but it is important to ensure that this funding is new money bit just recycled from other areas.

“We will continue to campaign to ensure that teachers receive the pay and conditions they deserve.

“We will also continue to campaign for a better deal for all education staff, including support staff, who are also vital to the success of our schools.”

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said: “We welcome that our ballot of NASUWT members has now unlocked months of prevarication and brought the government back to the negotiating table.

“The Government has confirmed to us that it will deliver a 6.5 per cent pay award from September to all teachers and school leaders and ensure that schools also receive an additional three per cent funding uplift to their budgets in the form of a Teachers’ Pay Grant worth more than £1 billion to deliver the pay award.

Teachers striking in Manchester (Image: Robert Poole)

 “We have also reached agreement that delivers significantly more money for schools in addition to a package of financial support for schools in financial difficulty, worth an extra £40 million.

 “We are confident that the additional funding for schools should enable every school and academy in the country to deliver the 6.5 per cent award in full from this September.

 “Whilst pay restoration remains a key priority for our members, we have also been clear to the Government that tackling workload and excessive working hours must also be a priority.

• Also read: Bolton teachers in the town go on strike in dispute over pay

 “We welcome that this offer is backed by a number of important commitments on tackling excessive workload and working hours, including a target to reduce teachers’ working hours by a minimum of five hours per week, a national taskforce to tackle workload, and measures to strengthen teachers’ working time rights and protections.

 “The NASUWT National Executive has agreed to put this deal to our members with a recommendation to accept the STRB recommendation and we will now be consulting our members on it.”

Junior doctors, who began their longest walkout yet in England today, July 13, will receive six per cent rises, along with an additional consolidated £1,250 increase.

And hospital consultants, set to strike in England next week, will also receive a six per cent rise.

At a Downing Street press conference, Mr Sunak said: “Today’s offer is final. There will be no more talks on pay. We will not negotiate again on this year’s settlements and no amount of strikes will change our decision.”

He said the accepted recommendations are a “fair deal for the British taxpayer”.

But with no new borrowing to fund deals, Mr Sunak said government departments will have to “reprioritise” spending – raising fears of cuts across public services.

Details of the deals, given by Treasury Chief Secretary John Glen in the Commons, include:

– Policing will receive a seven per cent headline rise.

– Prison officers in the operational bands will receive an increase of seven per cent, with larger rises for support grades.

• Also read: Sharples School teacher wins Ron Todd Foundation Award

– Armed forces will receive a five per cent rise, with an additional consolidated £1,000 increase.

The 6.5 per cent pay award for teachers will be “fully funded”, the Government said, with £525 million of additional funding for schools in 2023-24 and a further £900 million in 2024-25.

The Government set out some changes to raise around £1 billion of additional money to fund the rises, including increasing the immigrant health surcharge to £1,035.

Fees will be increased across a range of immigration and nationality routes, including a rise in the cost of work and visit visas by 15 per cent, and increasing the cost of study visas, certificates of sponsorship, wider entry clearance, leave-to-remain and priority visas among others by at least 20 per cent.

But the bulk of the money will have to come from existing budgets.

Mr Sunak said, “it’s not about cuts” but about departments “reprioritising”.

“We are asking departments to reprioritise to support public sector workers and that will mean in other areas – it’s not about cuts, it’s just about focusing on public sector workers’ pay rather than other things.

“And I’m really pleased that the teaching unions specifically have said that this pay offer is properly funded.”

He insisted “no cuts will need to be made” in schools.

The Prime Minister and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan along with the leaders of the four education unions issued a joint statement setting out how the agreement could end strike action.

The statement said: “The Government has committed that all schools will receive additional funding above what was proposed in March – building on the additional £2 billion given to schools in the Autumn Statement.

“The Government will also provide a hardship fund of up to £40 million to support those schools facing the greatest financial challenges.

“ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU will now put this deal to members, with a recommendation to accept the STRB recommendation. This deal will allow teachers and school leaders to call off strike action and resume normal relations with government.”

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @chloewjourno.