Teacher strikes: Fleetwood High staff form picket line on the second day of NEU school strike action in North West

Later today, they will join thousands of other education workers from across the North West in an indoor rally in Manchester, as NEU members continue to fight for a fully funded, above inflation pay rise.

Barbara Reeves, Fylde and Wyre NEU Secretary, told Blackpool Gazette: “They’re not even coming to the table to listen to us. If they don’t, we’re going to keep doing this."

The government has so far offered a 5% payrise for most teachers, which will be funded by already stretched school budgets, with no extra government funding.

Mrs Reeves added: “If they keep saying they’re going to [fund pay rises] through the schools, they will have to look at restructures because they won’t be able to afford teachers and quality support staff to give the children they so rightly deserve. People will lose their jobs.”

Striking for better children’s education

The National Education Union (NEU) had prepared to call off the second strike, but only if a “serious proposal” was put forward.

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

James Rochester, NEU Rep for Fleetwood High School said: “Ultimately we’re here for the children. We want the education to be better for them and that’s why we’re doing it.”

The Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) said striking teachers are taking action for a “high moral purpose”.

Kevin Courtney told Sky News: “We think we’re taking action for a high moral purpose to try and get the Government to invest in this generation of children.”

He added that many children face disruption from understaffed schools or underqualified teachers because “the Government have let teacher recruitment and retention fall to such perilous levels”.

When is the next teacher strike?

The teaching union is planning a rolling program to keep pressure on the Government, unless the Education Secretary steps up with “concrete and meaningful proposals”.

If this isn’t met, then the education workers will travel to London for a national demonstration on Wednesday 15th March – on Budget Day.

Surge in NEU membership

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the government has already agreed to provide an extra £2bn in school funding in England, "which will take real-terms spending on schools to its highest level in history".

The government is proposing a 3% pay rise for most teachers in 2023/24 - but the NEU says this is not enough, adding that pay has fallen by about 24% relative to inflation since 2010.

Last week, the Department for Education (DfE) said it was willing to "move into formal talks on pay, conditions and reform" - but only if the NEU called off this week's strike action.

Mr Courtney said membership of the NEU had increased by 50,000 since strike action was announced last month.

He added: “This shows you that teachers have had enough, they want the Government to invest in them, invest in their profession and invest in the education of the children in our schools.”