England teachers on strike again over pay, conditions

Saeed Pourreza
Press TV, London

On a normal day, they would be in classrooms doing what they do best, but today, these teachers say it is time for action.

After the nationwide February strikes, the government made a new pay offer to the teachers, which included a one-off payment of more than 1,00 dollars this year and a 4.3% pay rise for most staff next year against the teachers' demand for a 9% increase.

To the Minister of Education Gillian Keegan that was a "fair and reasonable offer". To the teachers, who have seen a relative decline in their pay since 2010, it was an outrage.

The government claims the rises will be covered by extra funding provided to state schools over the next two years. The teachers say the devil is in the details.

The unions representing teachers argue this is not just about pay. As with other public sector disputes, they say it is about a lack of investment, about cuts to funding for schools, about teacher shortages.

Special Education Needs teacher Fiona Edwards recently told a special committee that gives recommendation to the government on teacher pay rises about how a lack of funding is impacting teacher recruitment.

The UK has been gripped by waves of public sector industrial action for months, brought on by double digit inflation and a cost of living crisis. Despite the inconvenience caused by the strikes, public support for them remains strong.

And while the government twiddles its thumbs, there will be another strike on May 2nd, once again keeping hundreds of thousands of teachers and students out of the classrooms.

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