NEU strikes: when are teachers at schools in the West Midlands next going on strike?

Further school strikes will be taking place in the coming weeks
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The biggest strike in a decade is took place on Wednesday, February 1, with up to half a million workers walking out in increasingly bitter disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.

Schools across England and Wales closed last Wednesday as teachers prepare for more industrial action in the coming weeks.

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Around 400 Birmingham schools closed or partially closed for the first NEU strike at the start of the month. Thousands of teachers gathered in Centenary Square in Birmingham city centre to protest for better pay on February 1.

In England and Wales, nine out of 10 teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) voted for strike action and the union passed the 50% ballot turnout required by law. The union has declared seven days of walkouts in February and March, but it has said any individual school will only be affected by four of the days.

But when are teachers in the region going on strike next?

Teachers in the West Midlands will hold a strike once again on 1 March.

  • Wednesday 1 March: all eligible NEU members in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and Eastern regions

If a pay deal has not been met by this time, further strikes in the region are expected to take place on the dates below:

  • Wednesday 15 March: all eligible members in England and Wales
  • Thursday 16 March: all eligible members in England and Wales
Teachers and supporters wave flags and hold placards on February 01, 2023  (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)Teachers and supporters wave flags and hold placards on February 01, 2023  (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Teachers and supporters wave flags and hold placards on February 01, 2023 (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Why are teachers striking?

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Some 300,000 teachers and support staff were asked to vote in the NEU ballot – and more than 127,000 teacher members and 16,000 support staff members in England and Wales backed action.

The NAHT school leaders’ union and the NASUWT teachers’ union both failed to achieve the 50% ballot turnout required by law for its members to go out on strike over pay in England.

In England, the NEU is looking for a pay rise of 12% rather than the 5% offered so far by the government for most teachers. The unions say teachers’ pay has fallen by about 24% relative to inflation since 2010.

In July last year, the government said teachers would benefit from pay increases of between 5% and 8.9% from September 2022, after accepting the recommendations of the independent School Teachers’ Review Body for this academic year.

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In England, a ballot result of support staff in schools saw a 84.13% majority vote YES on a turnout of 46.46%. This result, despite being hugely in favour of action, just missed the government’s restrictive thresholds.

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