Government recommends another pay cut for experienced teachers Sept 2023

[noblegiraffe]

I mean, they're just taking the piss now aren't they? They seriously do not give a shit about teacher recruitment and retention, with vacancies reaching alarming levels.

They will meet their manifesto promise to increase NQT pay to £30k (7%) but are recommending just 3% for experienced teachers (those in the job more than 5 years).

Given that the government is merely planning to halve inflation by the end of the year, this will again be a well-below inflation rise for most teachers - a real terms pay cut. It will also flatten the pay scale further giving less incentive to take on more responsibility on the upper pay scale.

Before anyone goes on about 'there's no money', the government just reported a budget surplus of £5 billion for January, so perhaps they could dip into that.

www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/government-recommends-3-pay-rise-experienced-teachers

Oh, and they want the strikes to be called off. I'm sure that this recommendation will go down well

And yet it has just come out that the Treasury has said that a 5% pay increase for public sector workers for next year would be 'low risk', and presumably affordable.

So why are they pissing about with recommending 3% to the pay review body?

(That's all public sector workers could get 5% next year, not just teachers).

Thing is, half the profession leaving after 5 years is why we are in the current mess. We simply can't recruit enough teachers if we don't stem the flow.

That's ignoring the damage that high turnover and lack of experience does to the skill level of the average teacher.

Doesn't surprise me at all. I also heard a man on LBC today saying his son who did 5 years of medical school, and was in his 2nd year of being a doctor and he was on £29k.
Doctors, teachers, basically anyone who has a vocation, is screwed because we as a country don't value them any more.
I left teaching last year, after nearly 20 years and I was a SLT. My full time job now pays less than my part time wage but at least I can breath again. I have my evenings and weekends back.
The stress of running g a school on ZERO budget took a huge toll on my mental health.
Thanks for your posts@noblegiraffe
Ypu often get alot of stick, but I'm sure there are plenty of us who understand what you're saying and we appreciate you posting

I think they are mad. Half or more of the ect leave within 5yrs. Ffs pay teachers who are actually experienced properly and recognise that you do get better over time, and not just by being slt.

Like teach first. As if the people that was aimed at have any chance of identifying with kids in failing schools. Their understanding of what makes good teaching is just way off.

Completely agree.

This government has been totally exposed now. Their reasons for not giving better pay rises have been shattered - there now clearly is the money available and the argument that better than what they are offering would drive inflation is not backed up by the Treasury, yet they still have the gall to announce more pay cuts for public sector workers next year during industrial action over below inflation pay awards for this year.

They just don’t want to give public sector workers more money.

And they’re asking the striking teaching union to call off strikes next week in order to enter talks on pay. How have they demonstrated in any way that they are willing to negotiate?

I'd like the government to just be honest. Run a "we give no shits as long as we're raking it in ourselves" campaign, instead of all their weasel words.

Mary Bousted explaining why the NEU has refused to call off next week's strikes in order to enter 'serious' talks with the government.

The government has made no indication that it actually takes this issue seriously at all and in fact is showing that it will continue to take the piss.

twitter.com/maryboustedneu/status/1628399678499786754?s=61&t=GdxSP-qA3nMUvgY5T1v2CQ