British teachers reject government’s pay offer, announce series of disruptive strikes

London: Teachers in the United Kingdom have unanimously rejected a pay offer from the British government which was attempting to end a series of disruptive strikes, their trade union said on Tuesday, announcing two further days of walkouts. Britain’s largest education union – the National Education Union – said 98% of teachers who voted in the ballot followed its advice to reject the offer of a one-off payment this year of 1,000 pounds and an average pay rise of 4.5% in the next financial year. “This resounding rejection of the government’s offer should leave (education minister) Gillian Keegan in no doubt that she will need to come back to the negotiating table with a much better proposal,” NEU joint General Secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said in a statement the union released. Thousands of teachers across Britain have taken to strikes in 2023 demanding an above-inflation pay award, leaving classrooms empty and piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to help resolve the pay dispute. The union said teachers would stage two further days of walkout, on April 27 and May 2. The British Education Minister reacting to the latest plans of walkout by teachers said, “It is extremely disappointing that the NEU have called for more strike action.” Keegan in a statement also hinted that the government did not intend to negotiate further: “Pay will now be decided by the independent pay review body which will recommend pay rises for next year.” The British government has argued that higher pay rises would only worsen inflation. Teachers in Wales have ended their strike action after voting to accept a pay offer comprising an additional 3% pay award for 2022-23 alongside a 1.5% one-off payment, and a government-funded 5% rise for the following year. Scotland’s largest teaching union has also accepted a pay deal to end long-running strikes, which it said would amount to a 14.6% increase in pay for most teachers by January 2024. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.