National union's major strike rally in heart of Harrogate town centre as teachers step up pay dispute

The National Education Union is staging a rally at Cambridge Crescent in Harrogate on Thursday, April 27 as part of the next phase of its dispute with the Government, which will include a second day of national action next Tuesday, May 2.

The action has been called after members of the largest education union in Europe overwhelmingly rejected the Government’s recent pay offer.

In just more than six days 98% of NEU members, with a 66% reply to the ballot, voted to reject the offer, labelling it “insulting”.

North Yorkshire Branch Secretary for the NEU, Gary McVeigh-Kaye, said: “The Government’s recent offer was an insult and in no way represented a serious negotiated settlement.

"Offering our members a 4.3% pay increase, whilst inflation is still over ten per cent, does not even begin to address the real terms pay cut of 24% most teachers have experienced under 13 years of Tory rule.

"To add insult to injury, this pay increase was expected to be taken from already stretched school budgets.

The National Education Union (NEU) wants the Government to engage in serious negotiations, with a serious offer and a serious increase to school funding.

Until it reaches that stage, the NEU says it will continue to take strike action across the country.

Gary McVeigh-Kaye, the NUE’s North Yorkshire Branch Secretary, also condemned lack of Government spending on education in North Yorkshire itself.

"Across North Yorkshire, funding cuts to schools has made the recruitment of headteachers incredibly challenging and many primary schools are having to federate, meaning one headteacher can oversee three or more schools,” said Mr McVeigh-Kaye.

"This is not a good model to build community and professional working relationships.

"This is happening because the Tory Government, a government which has six Tory MPs across North Yorkshire, has failed to properly fund schools for more than a decade.”

The NEU rally in Harrogate is running from 11am to noon and includes guest speakers from across the education sector, alongside speakers from other trade unions.