Teachers in England have overwhelmingly rejected a pay offer from the British government aimed at ending a series of disruptive strikes, their trade union said , announcing two further days of walkouts.
The union said teachers would take two further days of strike action, on April 27 and May 2.
The National Education Union, Britain’s largest education union, said 98% of teachers who voted in the ballot followed its advice to reject the offer of a one-off payment this year of £1,000 and an average pay rise of 4.5% in the next financial year.
“This resounding rejection of the government’s offer should leave the education minister Gillian Keegan in no doubt that she will need to come back to the negotiating table with a much better proposal,” NEU joint General Secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said in a statement.
“The offer shows an astounding lack of judgement and understanding of the desperate situation in the education system.”