Teachers’ strike to continue on Wednesday after failed talks

The biggest teachers’ strike in years will take place after talks between the Education Minister and teachers’ unions failed.

Gillian Keegan held last-minute talks on Monday to resolve a wage dispute with teachers ahead of a planned strike on Wednesday.

Members of the teachers’ unions will now go on strike as planned on February 1st, with further industrial action planned in the weeks that follow.

After talks lasting more than an hour, the General Secretary of the Joint National Education Union (NEU), Kevin Courtney, confirmed that his members’ teachers’ strike would go ahead as planned.

He said: “I am sorry to say that we have not heard anything that would allow us to say that the strike should not take place on Wednesday.”

“There is no offer from the Foreign Minister to bridge the gap between us.”

Following the meeting, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the headteachers’ union NAHT, said: “It was nice of the Foreign Secretary to take the time to meet with us today. However, the meeting was unproductive.”

“This was not surprising given that the Foreign Secretary was unable to make any offer on the eve of industrial action.

“Nevertheless, there is agreement that further discussions will take place and we remain hopeful that a solution can be found.”

Mr Courtney said there was still time to resolve the industrial action before the next planned strike in England on February 28.

The NEU has announced seven-day strikes in England and Wales for February and March. Wednesday’s strike is expected to affect over 23,000 schools.

“They have time to talk. They have time to put forward proposals. They have to act on the state of education, just as they have to act on the state of the NHS on nurses’ pay.”

“A functioning health care system and a functioning school system simply cannot exist if you are not willing to invest in them and in the people who work in them.”

The strike on Wednesday is part of an action in which around half a million workers will take part. The teachers will be joined by train drivers, civil servants, university lecturers, bus drivers and security guards from seven unions. It is likely to be the largest day of industrial action in over a decade.