Four UK teaching unions, the National Education Union (NEU), the NASUWT teacher’s union, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), and the Association of School and College Leaders accepted the government’s recent pay rise offer on Monday. The 6.5% increase in pay for UK teachers will bring planned industrial action in autumn to an end.

Teaching unions in the UK have partaken in a series of strikes during the year demanding fair pay in line with inflation, including seven national strikes since February by NEU members. The new pay rise offer follows the teaching unions’ rejection of the government’s previous pay offer of 4.3% with a £1,000 one-off payment, which they held to be “inadequate.” Further strike actions were intended to take place in September if there was no improvement in the government’s offer.

The new pay rise of 6.5% has been welcomed more positively by teaching unions, with 85% of NEU members voting to accept it, from a turnout of 60%. The NASUWT announced that 77.6% of their members voted in favour, while 85% of NAHT members also accepted the offer. Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, also commended the offer’s acceptance. Via social media, she stated that it will allow teachers and the government “to work together to give our children the best education possible.”

However, the NASUWT has emphasised that despite accepting the new pay offer, members are still left unsatisfied. Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary stated that the value of teachers’ pay has declined by 25% in the last ten years. NASUWT members therefore “do not believe that it is sufficient redress for the impact of more than a decade of real-terms pay cuts.” Roach also stated that issues of “excessive workload and long working hours” are still present. He hopes these issues will be addressed, and has written to the Education Secretary to relay the NASUWT’s demands in this area.