Members of the largest teaching union in the UK have expressed readiness to engage in industrial action to secure increased funding for schools. According to an indicative ballot, over 90% of National Education Union (NEU) members who participated are willing to take such action.
Despite this strong indication, less than half of eligible teacher members voted in the ballot, with only 48.6% turnout. NEU General Secretary Daniel Kebede criticized the government’s approach towards schools, leading members to signal their willingness to take necessary steps to safeguard education.
The NEU initiated the indicative ballot on February 28, focusing on potential strikes concerning teacher pay, workload, and school funding. Criticism has been directed at the Department for Education’s proposal for a 6.5% pay increase for teachers over the next three years.
In response to the ballot’s two key questions rejecting the pay rise proposal and indicating readiness for industrial action to address workload and secure above-inflation pay raises, 96% of participating teachers opposed the DfE’s pay offer.
The NEU’s national executive will convene next month to determine the next course of action. Additionally, support staff members participated in a separate indicative ballot, with 86.5% indicating preparedness for industrial action on funding, workload, and redundancies, from a turnout of 55.5%.
Kebede highlighted the strain on schools due to prolonged funding cuts, resulting in resource shortages and increased workloads for staff. The situation has led to concerning retention rates for teachers and support staff, exacerbating staff shortages and affecting the quality of education provided to children.
The looming prospect of no additional funding for staff pay has raised alarms about further cuts that could impact support staff jobs, subject choices, and basic resources, ultimately affecting the quality of education delivered to students.
Kebede’s warning at the NEU’s annual conference emphasized the diminishing hope among teachers regarding the Labour party’s support and hinted at potential national strike action to safeguard school funding. Delegates at the annual conference of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) also supported a motion calling for a national strike ballot if the government fails to increase funding for schools, special educational needs, and disabilities (SEND), and address teacher workload.
Teachers received a 4% pay increase for the academic year 2025/26, following previous rises of 5.5% in 2024/25 and 6.5% in 2023/24 after previous actions by the NEU.