Teacher strikes: Millions to miss school in biggest action for decade

Families face disruption on February 1 as striking teachers force up to 4.5 million pupils to stay away from school on the biggest day of industrial action for a decade, Report informs referring to The Times.

Teachers seeking above-inflation pay rises will walk out with up to half a million other workers in protests that have been likened to a general strike.

On the same day there will be strikes by train drivers, civil servants, university lecturers, bus drivers and security guards from seven trade unions.

Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, will meet leaders from the National Education Union (NEU) and other teaching unions in a last-ditch attempt to avoid strike action.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: “This is the last chance to avoid the strike on February 1.

The upcoming strike will be the biggest in the country over the past 10 years.

Teachers are seeking indexation of salaries above the annual inflation rate, which, according to the latest data, has reached a record level of 10.5%. The leadership of the largest trade union of workers in the field of education NEU states that in recent days government representatives have not come up with any specific proposals to increase teachers’ salaries and the chances of preventing a strike are now minimal.

In February and March, the NEU plans to carry out six more such strikes. According to a survey conducted in December by YouGov, 50% of Britons support the actions of teachers, and 41% condemn the strikers.

Members of the trade union, which unites more than 300,000 school teachers, will go on strike at the same time as representatives of six other major trade unions of the country. In total, more than half a million workers in various fields should take part in the strikes scheduled for February 1. In addition to teachers, these will be university professors, machinists and bus drivers, civil servants and security workers.