Hannah Jarvis, from Yorkshire, posted a screenshot of her time running on the Strava app, for the route she had dubbed her “strike day run”. A striking teacher has shared a proud post on social media recounting how she has “crushed her 10km personal best” after she and thousands of other teachers walked out on Wednesday, sparking upheaval across the country.
She added on Twitter: “Broke my 10K personal best while on strike!” It comes as teachers launch a new wave of strikes in a long-running dispute over pay just weeks before GCSE and A-Level exams, and most schools are expected to restrict access to classrooms or close completely.
Tens of thousands of members of the National Education Union (NEU) walked out of schools and sixth-form colleges across England, with another strike planned for Tuesday. Pickets were set up outside schools across the country, and several rallies are scheduled to take place. But not all teachers joined the pickets this morning, as others took to social media to enjoy their day off.
One teacher wrote: ‘I had a bit of a lie today. The teachers are on strike, so I don’t have a job.’
Many secondary schools are expected to give priority to Year 11 and Year 13 students during the strikes as GCSE and A-level exams are weeks away. The NEU said it will support arrangements during the strikes that “provide for the minimum level of teaching staff necessary” for GCSE and A-level students to be able to attend school for exam practice or review activities.
It comes as parents shared their efforts to juggle childcare with their normal routines and their innovative ways to keep their kids busy. One mom wrote on Twitter: “Lockdown flashbacks as I prepare to work from home and homeschool.” A second person said, “Thanks to NEU, I just made my first batch of chocolate poop cakes.”
The NEU is expected to announce three more strikes during the summer term after its members voted to reject the government’s wage offer. General Secretary Kevin Courtney said: “Obviously, there are still disruptions and we have fully acknowledged that and regret it, but we have taken those steps in dispensations to try to assuage that concern as much as possible.”
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The government offered teachers a one-time payment of £1,000 for the current school year (2022/23) and an average 4.5 percent pay increase for staff next year following intensive talks with education unions.
Four education unions, the NEU, the teachers’ union NASUWT, the National Association of Heads of Education (NAHT), and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), have rejected the salary offer.
Speaking to LBC radio on Thursday, a Chigwell parent said he fears teachers will “lose parental support” because of the “unpleasant” timing of the strikes. The person he called, called Spencer, told Nick Ferrari that his wife is a teacher and that he has a son in year 11 who is about to take his GCSE. ‘Because right now?’ he asked him.
“There’s just no excuse to do it now.”
Meanwhile, the government will take legal action on Thursday against the Royal College of Nursing over its planned 48-hour strike over the bank holiday weekend. RCN members working in the NHS in England at strike-mandated workplaces are preparing to take a 48-hour industrial action from 8pm. m. or the start of the night shift on April 30.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he had been contacted by NHS Employers asking him to verify the legality of the action because the organization believes the strike mandate expires on May 1.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak writes to Barclay urging him to meet with the unions representing young doctors, highlighting his concerns over a lack of engagement and meaningful bargaining which he says is prolonging the dispute.
He said it was time for a “reset” in public sector pay disputes. ‘Ministers should stop wasting time and obstructing negotiations.’All of our public sector workers, including our doctors, teachers, and civil servants, deserve fair pay treatment.
‘If the Government does not reach a fair settlement on pay, the recruitment and retention crisis crippling frontline services will only get worse.’ Nurses rejected a deal over anger at how the Government has handled negotiations, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Sir Keir said: ‘What’s happened in the nurses’ case is really instructive, because actually the union recommended the deal and the nurses themselves rejected it.
‘That tells you just how angry the nurses are because that’s quite unusual.’ A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers recognizing their hard work and commitment. ‘Thanks to the further £2 billion pounds we are investing in our schools, next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history.’
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