Warrington teachers join national NEU strikes in continued pay row

NEU members took to the picket lines once again in fight for a better and funded pay rise.

On March 7, a pay offer was brought to the table by the Department for Education (DfE) of a 4.5 per cent unfunded increase with an additional one-off payment of £1,000, which was declined by the union.

The Government also offered schools further funding of around £620million in 2023 to 2024, including a grant of £530million for the one-off payment.

The Warrington Guardian spoke to some of the teachers who took to the picket lines early this morning outside Padgate Academy and Sir Thomas Boteler to find out their views on the negotiations.

Newly qualified history teacher at Padgate, Holly Pritchard, labelled the pay offer as ‘embarrassing’, significantly after Wales and Scotland’s negotiations came to a conceptual end last month.

Speaking on the most recent offer she said: “I thought it was rude and embaressing.

“We do not want to strike. There are people who have had to cross this picketline to go to work because they are not in the financial position to do another two days of strike.

“I am sick of people telling me it is a vocation, it is not, I did not go to univeristy for five years for a vocation.

“I love my job, I adore it, but its hard work. It is blood, sweat and tears at times.”

Warrington teachers stepped up to the picket lines this morning to fight for better pay (Image: Newsquest)

Summarising her thoughts, she said: “Respect us. Care about us. We are the occupation that creates other occupations, you need workers so you need us.”

Holly’s colleague, Sarah Cropper, an English teacher of eight years, echoed her disatisfaction, saying: “It is insulting.

“It is the idea that we are not being respected like other sectors. Considering the Education sector is something that effects every single thing in this country.”

Commenting on the potential future for education if pay disputes do not reach a satisified conclusion, she added: “There will be no teachers. In the time I have been teaching I have seen a steady decline in teaching as it is.”

“If they are not willing to pay professionals, professionals are not going to be willing to do it.

“The prospect of that is heartbreaking. This is my dream job, but I have got to live.”

The NEU are calling for a pay rise above the current inflation rate of 10 per cent with the essential being that this be funded and not taken from school budgets.

Jane Woodcock, an English teacher at Sir Thomas Botoler who has 27 years of teaching behind her, said how she cannot separate the teacher strikes from the general ‘malaise’ the country is facing during the cost-of-living crisis.

“I love teaching in Warrington, but it is difficult when you see children struggling,” she commented.

“You hear it from parents, I have seen children coming into school in the morning, more than ever, huddling by radiators.

“To me I cannot separate the teacher strike from the national malaise currently.”

Warrington teachers stepped up to the picket lines this morning to fight for better pay (Image: Newsquest)

Highlighting the importance of a funded payrise she added: “I am striking because I do not believe that children’s educations should be affected in order to pay teachers wages.

“I believe quality of education for all is a basic human right. We are good teachers here, it is not about my pay, it is about the future of education.

“Gillian Keegan (Secretary of State for Education) and her colleagues seem to be completely ignorning the oppertunities presented to them to come around the table.”

Jane said that during the pandemic it seemed teachers were ‘hoodwinked’ and made to feel important by the titles of ‘key workers’ but the reality since has been very different.

Teachers congregated at the golden gates for one final rally of the day (Image: Newsquest)

After joinin the picket lines, Warrington teachers congrugated at the Golden Gates to hear what Warrington representative for the NEU, Lucie Humphreys, had to say.

Lucie highlighted that while strike dates would continue including the organised date of May 2, it was also of high importance that a plan was made with headteachers to ensure no disprution would affect year 11 and year 13 exam students.

“No teacher wants to be on strike, we want the best for the children we teach.

“During April at the NEU Conference, members voted that if negotiations are not successful, the union will use the period of exams from 15 May to begin a re-ballot of teacher members in England running until the end of July.”

A DfE spokesman said: “Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers recognising their hard work and commitment.

“Thanks to the further £2billion pounds we are investing in our schools, next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history.”