红桃影视

Schools minister Jonathan Gullis has signed off on boosting starting salaries for new teachers to 拢30,000 next year, and urged teachers to give ministers space to come up with a pay solution rather than go on strike.

Gullis said he has recommended to the school pay review body that new salaries are hiked again next year to deliver the government manifesto commitment.

Amid messaging from senior government ministers about cutting back department budgets, the promise to deliver 拢30,000 starting salaries by 2023 seemed potentially under threat.

The promise had already been delayed a year. A two-year plan to reach 拢30,000 starting salaries next year was ditched in favour of a one-year settlement for this year alone.

But Gullis confirmed today that government will go ahead as planned.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important we deliver on those commitments the people elected us to do,鈥� he said at a NASUWT union fringe event.

It comes as unions consult members on their appetite to strike this year.

Unions want an inflation-matching pay rise, but experienced teachers got a five per cent pay increase this year.

Gullis said government “is not going to budge” on this.

But he said the school pay review body will now talk to the sector to inform its wider pay proposals for next year.

‘Allow room’ for negotiations

But he wants to 鈥渄o everything I can to avoid any kind of industrial action. We need to remember very clearly a lot of children, particularly children in deprived areas have felt the impact of the pandemic. We鈥檝e acknowledged the need to catch up as soon as possible.

鈥淚 just urge teachers to remember and think that if industrial action were to be taken, those pupils 鈥� particularly those that are vulnerable 鈥� not being in a classroom, where school sometimes is the safest place and missing out on learning鈥� You cannot afford to waste a day in a child鈥檚 life. We just have to bear that in mind.鈥�

Gullis, a former representative for the NASUWT union while a teacher, said he was 鈥渘ot saying teachers don鈥檛 have a right to take action. I鈥檓 asking to allow room to let those negotiations to happen for as long as humanly possible.

鈥淟et us get to a place where all unions feel they can put an offer to their membership and then we can go from there.

鈥淚鈥檓 asking for this period of calm for trade union leaders who are doing their job鈥� and let himself and other ministers 鈥渉ear the different ideas and see where we can try and find a position that people are ok with.

鈥淣o-ones ever going to be over the moon, but let鈥檚 get to a place where we can all be ok with where we鈥檝e got to.鈥�

But Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 totally disingenuous of ministers to claim that they are delivering a pay award for teachers if they cannot guarantee that it will be delivered to teachers in reality.

鈥淲e have asked ministers to talk to us 鈥� to get around the table to find a resolution. But, they have dithered, delayed and failed to make this their priority.鈥�