Teachers in England go on strike

Schools across England are facing another day of disruption as teachers walk out for the second time this week, Report informs referring to BBC.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) are striking for the seventh day of national action since February, in a long-running dispute over pay.

The union is balloting for further strike action in the autumn, which could involve coordinated strikes with three other education unions.

Many schools are expected to fully or partially close today.

While July 7 marks the seventh national strike, it is the eighth day of significant disruption for England's schools because of previous action at regional level.

Figures on school closures on this week’s strikes haven’t been published yet. The most recent action before that, in May, affected more schools than ever.

NEU teachers are striking because they want an above-inflation pay increase, plus extra money to ensure any pay rises do not come from schools' existing budgets.

Most state school teachers in England had a 5% pay rise for the year 2022-23.

After intensive talks, the government offered an additional one-off payment of £1,000. It also increased the offer for most teachers next year to 4.3%, with starting salaries reaching £30,000.

The Department for Education described it as a "fair and reasonable offer", and said schools would receive an extra £2.3 billion over the next two years.

All four unions involved in the dispute rejected the offer.