CST urges government to re-open pay talks with unions

Leora Cruddas, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, has urged the government to re-engage with unions over pay talks, warning that the sector "must be wary of a stale mate which could play out over many months, potentially into next academic year”.

It comes as NEU teachers strike again this Thursday and next Tuesday, and more strikes due again after the exams season in the summer.

Cruddas said: "Employers know that strike action and the decision to ballot is not a decision that teachers and leaders will have taken lightly.

"The school system is being hit hard by rising inflation, energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis. More children and families are now living in absolute poverty and schools are bearing the strain of much greater need, including mental health needs, in the school population.

"We urge the government to come back to the negotiating table with the education trade unions. We must be wary of a stalemate which could play out over many months, potentially into next academic year.

"Teaching is a wonderful profession that makes a difference to individual children and benefits wider society in a way few other roles can. We must ensure that teachers at all levels are rewarded with pay and conditions that match comparably skilled roles, and that teaching is a competitive career option for new graduates.

"We recognise the dispute is challenging to resolve in this fiscal environment with the need for pay increases to be funded seemingly in conflict with assumptions made about budgets and wider national cost pressures. But we are sure that common ground and a way forward can be found.

"Today we call on government to come back to the negotiating table to find a resolution and return some certainty to classrooms ahead of this crucial period of GCSEs, A Levels, and primary SATs. Talking is the only way this dispute will be resolved and ensure that children, who are our first priority, can get back to learning.”