Pay review body recommends 4% pay rise for teachers - government screwed

[noblegiraffe]

It is being reported that the teachers independent pay review body has recommended a pay rise of close to 4% for teachers. The government told it to recommend 2.8%. Schools can afford about 1.3% with funding increases, anything above that will have to come out of budget cuts.

If the government reject the 4% and go for 2.8%, both main teachers' unions have said that they will immediately start balloting for strike action. If any pay rise is unfunded, strike action is also on the cards.

This is not 'teachers demanding more money', this is the independent pay review body saying that teachers need to be paid more because the profession is underpaid and in crisis.

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/strb-recomments-teacher-pay-rise-close-to-4-reports/

Government says pay rises will be unfunded and "also urge our colleagues in the trade union movement to engage constructively with us and recognise the reality of the financial position."

I would urge them to recognise the reality of the situation in schools. How long can they expect kids to continue without teachers?

Here's the Telegraph's take. It seems to have misunderstood who has said teachers should get a bigger pay rise, and why.

How would you fund it?

It seems that all the public services are demanding more money though. Who should the government prioritise and where's the money coming from?

I thought they had just had quite significant pay rises these last 4 years. Am I wrong?

It's a real nightmare. Schools are underfunded, teachers underpaid and no additional money available for the foreseeable.

this is the independent pay review body saying that teachers need to be paid more because the profession is underpaid and in crisis.

The vast majority of workers are underpaid here due to years of wage stagnation but I don't think there is the appetite for even more taxes.

Schools are underfunded, teachers underpaid and no additional money available for the foreseeable.

the falling rolls in places aren't helping

It’s a bit of an existential question for the UK (and most other developed countries).

We have developed these elaborate welfare systems… but now have an ageing population and decreasing tax base.

So what to do?

Teachers receive incremental pay awards up the scale points alongside the inflation linked pay award, plus on average 28.68% employer pension contribution.

I agree. And it doesn't yet appear that anyone has come up with a solution. 😬

That's how bad things are in teaching, it hasn't been enough to fix the problem of over a decade of real terms pay cuts. There aren't enough teachers and children are going without.

Remember this is the independent pay review body saying that this pay rise is what is necessary, despite the government saying it should have recommended 2.8%

And yet staff in other areas like further education have been given and offered absolutely nothing for years

With some of the inevitable tax rises that are coming.

I saw on the BBC it had been suggested that this would have to be funded from editing budgets or if this was not possible cuts would need to be made to “free up” funds.

Not sure they have thought this through.

Well I think they deserve every pay rise going to be doing the job they do coz I for one wouldn’t teach some of the little “darlings” going through the education system atm and put up with the parents on top .

They are losing teachers left right and centre , they need to do something to keep the ones left .

If teachers are striking for more pay though, that very clearly is teachers demanding more money. Whether or not they should get it is another matter but if people are on strike for more money it’s inescapable that they are demanding more money

The threads I've read on here suggest it's the conditions that are making teachers leave the profession in their droves rather than the pay. If the workload is unbearable an extra 4% is neither here nor there.

Every single time this happens it needs explaining that teachers are only allowed to strike on the basis of pay. Not the unbearable workload, parents who expect schools to raise their children for them, abuse, etc etc.

But the pay does need to compensate for all that if we're to keep any teachers.

Edited to add: although the balloting for strike action etc needs to be on the basis of pay, the placards made it clear it is indeed conditions as you say. A memorable one said : 'our working conditions are children's learning conditions'.

Start putting taxes up on unearned income?
NI for higher rate pensioners?
Wealth tax on assets?

Plenty of people in the UK are very well off and can easily afford more tax but they do their hardest to plead poverty and use tax avoidance measures.

Look how the wealthy moaned like xxxx when faced with private school fee increases..

There hasn't been a strike ballot so no one is striking about anything yet. The government has to decide whether the award the 4% and how it is to be funded.

If the independent pay review body says that teachers need a pay rise of 4%, would you disagree with their assessment?

I think schools are screwed

It's not just the leaving though. People aren't joining the profession and the assessment is that pay is part of the issue there.

It's certainly thought to be one of the reasons why teaching is female dominated - men won't accept the low pay.

Employer contribution rates are meaningless/arbitrary in defined benefit pensions.

The teachers I know generally want the government to pay for more facilities for children that are not capable of attending mainstream school.

If they can take some of the stress out of their job the current salary will be much fairer.

Fix the conditions and the pay will cease to be a problem.