Teacher strikes: ‘Enough is enough’ says Peterborough union boss after ‘recruitment challenge’

One of Peterborough’s National Education Union leaders has said the message from school teachers to the Government is “enough is enough”.

It comes as teachers who are members of the NEU - the UK’s largest union with 450,000 members - staged walkouts across the country on Wednesday.

It was the third of four strike dates planned by the NEU in February and March this year.

Peterborough teachers will be on strike again on Thursday (March 16).

Charlotte Davis, branch and district secretary for NEU Peterborough, said while recruiting new teachers is “a challenge”, retaining them is “a disaster”.

One in four of all newly qualified teachers vacate the profession within three years of starting jobs, rising to a third of all teachers leaving within five years, according to the NEU.

“Enough is enough,” Charlotte, who travelled to London as striking teachers descended on the capital to make their voices heard, said.

“Members of several unions are meeting for a march and then a rally in Trafalgar Square. We don't want to be out of the classroom, but we feel we have no choice.

“We are still waiting for an offer from the secretary of state for education Gillian Keegan.

"We care about our pupils – we want education to be properly funded and for students to have the support they need with fully qualified teachers in every classroom.

"At the moment, that's not the case. Recruitment is a challenge and retention is a disaster.”

Unions are calling for pay rises to compete with the rising rate of inflation and cost of living, as well funding for schools – coming from the Government, not existing school budgets.

Salaries in England fell by 11 per cent on average between 2010 and 2022, after taking inflation into account, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Unions are claiming teacher pay has fallen by as much as 23 per cent in that time. Most state school teachers in England experienced a 5 per cent rise in 2022.

What has Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said?

In an an open letter to parents setting out the latest on teacher strikes.

She said: “I am extremely disappointed that many young people will once again miss invaluable time learning with their teachers and friends, particularly after their education was significantly disrupted during the pandemic.

"It is made worse by the fact that this strike action is completely unnecessary. As I said to the NEU three weeks ago, I want to get around the table and engage in serious talks on teachers’ pay and other issues to resolve disputes.

"My only condition was that strike action is paused so those discussions can take place in good faith and without disruption.

“This was the same offer, and the same condition, made to unions representing nurses, ambulance workers and physiotherapists. Those unions accepted that offer, paused their strikes and are now negotiating on behalf of their members in private."