National Education Union members vote to accept 5.5% pay rise for teachers

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Louise Thomas

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Members of the largest education union in the UK have voted to accept the Government’s 5.5% pay rise for teachers in England.

In a National Education Union (NEU) snap poll, 95% of members who responded voted to accept the 2024/25 pay offer.

Schools will receive £1.2 billion of additional funding in the 2024/25 financial year to help cover the costs of the increased teacher pay award, according to the NEU.

General secretary Daniel Kebede said: “Our members should be proud of what they have achieved through a hard-fought campaign.

“They have accepted this year’s pay deal, but the Government should be in no doubt that we see it as just a first step in the major pay correction needed.”

He continued: “Teacher pay in England was cut by around a quarter in real terms under the Conservatives and is significantly lower than it is in Scotland. This is unsustainable.

“Without a major pay correction to restore the competitiveness of teacher pay, the desire to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis promised by today’s Government remit letter to the School Teachers’ Review Body will come up short.

“The pay increases are in the interests of pupils and parents too. Teacher shortages and high class sizes damage education. Support staff, further education and sixth form college teachers also need solutions to long-standing problems in pay.

“The Government must make a commitment to repairing the damage done to teacher pay under the Conservatives.

“This must be done in negotiations with the teacher unions. Reversing pay cuts, alongside tackling sky-high workload, is essential to ensuring that we properly value, recruit and retain teachers.”

The snap poll was sent to approximately 300,000 members of the NEU who are serving teachers in state schools in England.

There was a voting turnout of 41%.

Last year, NEU members staged eight days of strike action in state schools in England in a pay dispute.