Members of a school leaders’ union in England have agreed to a 6.5% pay rise for teachers.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said 87% of members voted in favor of the September salary increase, with a turnout of 46%.
The leaders of all four teaching unions involved in the dispute, including ASCL, have recommended their members vote in favor.
Unions are considering a fall semester strike, but ASCL has now canceled its vote.
Ministers proposed the offer last week and in a joint statement with union leaders agreed on “broader reforms” to reduce workloads.
The first-ever ASCL vote on industrial action was scheduled to end on July 31st.
The vote and the decision to cancel the vote are further indications that there are unlikely to be any more strikes in England in the Autumn Term.
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Geoff Barton, ASCL general secretary, said “the strength of feeling we have shown by conducting our industrial action vote” was “pioneer to the settlement of this dispute”.
“While the deal is a step in the right direction, it alone is not enough to address the crisis in teacher recruitment and retention or the funding pressures schools and colleges are facing,” he said.
He said the government must continue to “provide the resources and investment needed” and that ASCL stands ready to launch another vote on industrial action in the future “as a last resort”.
Three other unions are yet to announce their members’ reactions to the salary offer union leaders have recommended accepting:
- the National Education Union, which has held seven nationwide strikes since February and is re-voting its members on further action
- the NASUWT, which has a strike mandate
- the National Association of Head Teachers, which also re-elects its members
The Government say it will give schools an extra £525m in 2023-2024 and £900m in 2024-25 from the Department of Education budget to fund the pay rise.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said savings would come from a “re-prioritization” within government departments.
Unions say the money will not be used for special educational needs and disabilities or continuing education programs – or for the funding needed to keep school buildings safe.
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