Every state school in England could face more strikes in the autumn, after teaching unions pledged to coordinate strikes if they went ahead.
The move means the 400,000 members of the National Education Union (NEU), Association of School Superintendents (NAHT), NASUWT and Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) could cause widespread disruption as part of the long-running dispute over pay.
However, only the NEU has a mandate to strike, and members are scheduled to take action on Tuesday. It will re-elect its members over the summer on whether to continue the strike.
Both NAHT and the NASUWT teaching union failed to reach the 50% threshold on the last ballot, and members will ask again before the fall semester.
ASCL will also poll its members for For the first time in its history.
Asked about the impact of a possible coordinated strike at NAHT’s annual conference in Telford, NEU Joint Secretary General Kevin Courtney said: “I think with our four unions you would find that every state school in England would be affected by conflict and that would put you in 300,000 -400,000 teachers… involved in taking action, I’d have thought.
We don’t want to take it. We want to find a solution. But with all of us working together, I think we will all cross the thresholds of undemocratic government, and therefore a massive reaction from our members.
“We sincerely apologize to parents for disrupting their children’s education if prompted. We will sincerely apologize to them for inconveniencing their home and work lives. However, what we are seeing is disruption to children’s education every week of the school year.”
“It’s been about a decade since I haven’t seen the format we see here,” NAHT General Secretary Paul Whiteman told the conference.
The latest move from teaching unions comes after the government offered teachers a one-time payment of £1,000 for this year, plus a 4.5% pay rise for next year.
The four guilds rejected the offer.
The decision on education staff salaries has been submitted to the Independent School Teachers Review Board.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “For unions to coordinate a strike with the aim of causing maximum disruption to schools is unreasonable and disproportionate, particularly given the impact the pandemic has already had on their learning.
Educating children has always been our absolute priority, and they should be in the classrooms where they belong.
“We have made a fair and reasonable offer of teachers’ wages to the unions, which recognizes the teachers’ hard work and commitment as well as offering an additional £2 billion in school funding, which they have asked for.”