Teachers Announce March 26 Strike

The move is the latest in a long-running dispute, as union blame the Education Secretary of refusing to address their complaints.

Teachers strike Bristol March

A march in the long-running dispute over teachers' pay and pensions

Thousands of children will be forced to stay at home on March 26 after teachers announced a strike over pay and pensions.

The stoppage by the National Union of Teachers will be the latest in a long-running dispute and unions are blaming Education Secretary Michael Gove for "persistent refusals" to address their complaints.

Unions have warned Mr Gove his policies are losing him both votes and teachers and that thousands are leaving the profession because of measures he has introduced.

They claim the Education Secretary's lack of movement on the issue has left them with no alternative but to take industrial action.

NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: "Michael Gove's persistent refusals to address our ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and conditions of service, is unnecessary and deeply damaging.

"As a result, thousands of good, experienced teachers are leaving or considering leaving the job and a teacher shortage crisis is looming with two in five teachers leaving the profession in their first five years."

Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove
Education Secretary Michael Gove is not popular with teachers

The National Union of Teachers and National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, who have staged action alongside the NUT, will meet next Friday to consider calling a strike on the same day.

Teachers are protesting over three concerns: the introduction of performance-related pay, changes to their pensions that will see them contributing more and working longer, and reforms which will mean longer working hours.

The dispute dates back three years and there have been a number of strikes, which have seen thousands of children missing school, since unions first balloted for action.

The last stoppage in October, which saw millions of families forced to rearrange their working day, cost parents an estimated £1.2bn in childcare.

This week Mr Gove announced a number of new measures for schools in an attempt to bring the standards in state schools to the same level as those in private ones.

Among them was that the school day should be extended to 10 hours to enable children to take part in debating teams and sport clubs.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Parents will struggle to understand why the NUT is pressing ahead with strikes over the Government's measures to let heads pay good teachers more.

"They called for talks to avoid industrial action, we agreed to their request, and those talks will begin shortly.

"Despite this constructive engagement with their concerns, the NUT is nevertheless taking strike action that will disrupt parents' lives, hold back children's education and damage the reputation of the profession."

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