An historic agreement between four unions to coordinate autumn strike action is a direct result of the government’s refusal to repair the damage caused by 13 years of underfunding education, says Dr Patrick Roach – but a 'window of opportunity' remains for the DfE to act...
Last week, the NASUWT and other education unions came together in an unprecedented show of unity to announce plans to continue our respective disputes with the government over teachers’ pay, workload and working conditions.
The NASUWT has already announced that we will undertake a ballot of members in schools and sixth forms in England this term and we have now committed to coordinating any future industrial action with the National Education Union, the Association of School and College Leaders, and National Association of Head Teachers, who are all conducting their own ballots over the coming months.
What has brought all four unions to this place for the first time in our collective history?
The immediate context is the overwhelming rejection last month by teachers and school leaders of the government’s pay offer.
