Teachers to strike during biggest day of industrial action in a decade
Many teachers across Surrey and East Hampshire are set to strike today (Wednesday) in the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade.
Teachers from one of the UKs biggest unions voted in favour of strike action in February and March, in a row over pay.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) will walk out of schools across England and Wales on the first day of action (February 1st) - leaving many schools with no choice but to close.
Closures will affect millions of working parents.
The current offer on the table of 5% pay increase from government falls short of the 12% requested by NEU and other teaching union, NASUWT.
Union bosses say the education secretary has "squandered an opportunity" to avert strike action, following talks held with Gillian Keegan yesterday.
In a survey completed by NASUWT in 2022, it was found that 68% of existing teachers want to quit the job, with 54% of them citing pay as a key factor.
Dr Sarah Warrington is a secondary school teacher in Surrey. She says teachers do not want to strike:
"This is very much a last resort for us. We were hoping that the pay review body that looks at teaching would have considered the inflation rate and teachers pay and at come to a different decision.
"Teachers were awarded a 5% uplift in pay. The trouble with that is it's not fully funded, which means that individual schools are having to find some of that money when their budgets are already hugely stretched and that is taking money away from a SEND provision for resources for the children.
"So we have taken this step to strike in the hope that the government will listen and will consider the position we are in.
"We're having huge trouble with retention and recruitment of teachers. In 2022 we were down 23% in our recruitment compared with 2021.
"And at the moment it's not a hugely attractive profession because people are struggling with whether they're gonna make mortgage payments or rent payments. And as the cost of living is going up hugely, teacher salaries aren't matching that."
As well as picket lines outside a number of schools across Surrey and East Hampshire, there will also be a rally in support of the strikes taking place at The Trinity Centre, in Guildford, from 10.30am today (Wednesday 1st).
A spokesperson for number 10 Downing Street says it wants to try to help unions receive a fair and affordable pay deal.
For a list of school closures in the Hampshire area, head to https://www.hants.gov.uk/schoolclosures.
For closures in the Surrey area, please contact your school directly.