NEU member Rees Melville responds to the ballot results
The results of the National Education Union (NEU)’s indicative ballot on pay and funding show a clear and growing mood for action across education.
Notably, support staff turnout was well over 50%, following the recent decision by the NEU to ballot their support staff members as well. This further reflects the willingness of our lowest paid members, who are most exposed to the further cuts to education, to fight for a better deal.
An overwhelming 96% of teachers rejected the Labour government’s unfunded pay proposal of 6.5% over three years, with over 90% willing to take strike action. Among support staff, 86% backed action, with near-unanimous agreement that defending jobs is essential.
Turnout – 48.6% for teachers and 55.5% for support staff – represents hundreds of thousands engaging with the union. While not quite hitting the 50% turnout threshold that would be needed in a strike ballot of teachers, this is a clear mandate for the union leadership to mount a serious campaign.
The results, however, also reflect a growing frustration. From contacting members directly and discussions in workplaces, many members feel that repeated annual indicative ballots have not been followed by decisive national action. With a union policy of ‘lighting fires’ and focusing on local or trust-wide disputes, the risk now is that hesitation from leadership over a national campaign could demoralise activists and weaken confidence.
Prepare now
Our union must announce now that it will move to a formal ballot, and prepare a campaign. If, as expected, the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) does as Starmer asks and delivers another unfunded or below-inflation pay recommendation, there must be no delay in launching action and outlining to workers why our education system cannot afford to take another hit from real-terms pay and funding cuts and the recent attacks on the limit to teachers’ directed time.
Further, a major obstacle remains: the anti-union 50% turnout threshold imposed under Tory trade union laws that Labour has left in place. This means even overwhelming support for strike action can be blocked if turnout falls just short. It is a deeply undemocratic barrier. We must demand Labour scraps the thresholds.
With increased strike action and militancy, educators across the country have already demonstrated their willingness for strike action. Socialist Party members will argue that the national union must act on its mandate.
