Teachers unions go head to head with Gove as strike set for 26 March
Teachers in England and Wales are set to strike on 26 March in a dispute over pay, pensions and conditions. Teachers' unions are indignant at the introduction of performance-related pay and a more restrained pension package.
Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) have accused the education secretary, Michael Gove, of "persistently refusing" to address their complaints.
Christine Blower, NUT general secretary, said:
Michael Gove's persistent refusals to address our ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and conditions of service, is unnecessary and deeply damaging.
As a result, thousands of good, experienced teachers are leaving or considering leaving the job and a teacher shortage crisis is looming with two in five teachers leaving the profession in their first five years.
Blower put the blame for strike squarely on the shoulders of Michael Gove insisting that "his policies are losing the coalition parties votes. It is time he changed his attitude and listened to the genuine concerns of teachers."
However, a spokesman from the Department for Education countered saying parents would be confused as to why unions were striking to prevent good teachers receiving better pay and causing massive inconvenience.
"They called for talks to avoid industrial action, we agreed to their request, and those talks will begin shortly. Despite this constructive engagement with their concerns, the NUT is nevertheless taking strike action that will disrupt parents' lives, hold back children's education and damage the reputation of the profession," he said.
The NASUWT is considering plans for the next wave of strikes in England and Wales scheduled for 14 February.
Chris Keates, the union's general secretary, said:
The secretary of state must understand that the teaching profession is on the verge of a crisis. The relentless attack on every aspect of teachers' working lives is taking its toll.