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Teachers’ unions could be next to announce strikes

By Nagasunder in UK Business News, posted January 16, 2023

Teachers in the UK could be the next to go on strike as a row over pay continues.

The National Education Union (NEU) is ready to reveal the outcome of a strike ballot today (Monday, January 16), which means thousands of teachers could be on the verge of walking out.

Following a vote in a pay dispute involving more than 300,000 teachers and support staff, the NEU has stated that walkouts in England and Wales could start at the end of the month.

Any industrial action must be announced two weeks in advance by the union.

Teachers in two of Scotland's 32 local authority areas will walk out every day for 16 days starting today until February 6 as part of a rolling strike called by members of the Educational Institute of Scotland union.

With the exception of students taking preliminary examinations, all schools are closed in East Lothian and Glasgow, the first two councils to be impacted.

The action will proceed because Thursday's talks between the Scottish government, local government officials, and teaching union leaders ended in a deadlock.

Starting today, members of the Association of Headteachers and Deputies in Scotland union will go on a 16-day rolling strike.

The strikes occur as this week will see the continuation of the wave of industrial action that has swept through the UK for months.

Wednesday and Thursday will see a nationwide nursing strike in England.

The next round of strikes will involve all eligible members in England for the first time, according to a warning from the Royal College of Nursing, if progress in discussions is not made by the end of January.

The government is clinging to its stance that pay claims are unaffordable and that pay review boards should be the ones to decide on compensation increases.

Until the current conflict is settled, the health unions are refusing to provide any supporting documentation to the NHS pay review board for the pay increase in 2023–2024.

Due to the impasse in negotiations, GMB union executives will meet today to discuss whether to authorise additional strikes among their ambulance members.

Any choice will probably be made public later this week.

Unison employees at the Environment Agency will also strike on Wednesday (January 18) over a wage issue.

The long-running rail dispute that has resulted in a string of strikes since last summer could be resolved through further negotiations between unions and train companies.

Both parties claim they are working on a new offer.

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It happens as the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) pushes through with a 100,000-person civil servant strike scheduled on February 1 that will affect governments, driving test facilities, museums, ports, and airports.

Source: Sky News

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