Teaching union to launch indicative ballot of members over pay

The National Education Union (NEU) will launch an indicative ballot of its members from March to April over the pay offer of 2.8% for teachers in England.

Members will be asked whether they would be willing to take industrial action if the Government does not commit to a significant and fully funded pay rise. If they are, then they could proceed to a formal ballot in the summer term.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said the current proposal of 2.8% for 2025/26 is “not sufficient” to address teacher shortages.

However, the Department for Education (DfE) said a 2.8% rise would “maintain the competitiveness of teachers’ pay despite the challenging financial backdrop the Government is facing”.

In July 2023, the Government agreed to implement the STRB’s recommendation of a 6.5% increase for teachers in England and co-ordinated strike action by four unions was called off.