Government’s breach of honour over teachers’ pay

5 June 2007 

Commenting on the Government’s decision not to re-open the question of teachers’ pay increases from September this year, Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Britain’s biggest teachers’ union, said:

“With inflation currently running at well in excess of 4 per cent, teachers face another pay cut if the settlement of 2.5 per cent is imposed on them in September. In the year following, that will mean a salary loss of £300 for young teachers and £600 for more experienced teachers in addition to losses in the past.

“The Government’s decision to refuse to re-open the September award is a breach of honour.  It had agreed a recommendation that if inflation exceeded 3.25 per cent then the award could be looked at again.

“Teachers have been let down. They trusted the Government to live up to its word instead once again they have been targeted for unfair treatment.

“Deferring any prospect of looking at the inadequacy of this award for another year will merely compound the problems of recruitment and retention. Young teachers in particular face extreme difficulty in paying rent let alone supporting a mortgage. The loss of £300 in real terms merely serves to make their position much less secure.

“The profession has faced 30 years of boom and bust in pay. The NUT is determined to work with all teachers organisation to put an end to this treatment.

“I shall be writing to the TUC to convene a meeting of the affiliated teachers’ organisation – the NASUWT and the ATL – to consider what steps our alliance should take next to achieve fairness for teachers.”