20th March 2023
NEU agreed to a 'period of calm for two weeks' where no more strikes will be announced
DfE and unions agree pay talks
In a joint statement released on Friday. March 17th, the DfE and the NEU stated they would “create a period of calm” for two weeks, during which no further strike dates will be announced.
It comes after the last scheduled strikes by members in England took place on Wednesday and Thursday.
Dfe/NEU Statement
The statement read “In order for talks to begin and, we hope, reach a successful conclusion, the NEU has confirmed it will create a period of calm for two weeks during which time they have said no further strike dates will be announced.”
The Association of School and College Leaders, National Association of Head Teachers, and NASUWT will attend the talks, which will focus on teacher pay, conditions and workload reduction.
All parties have agreed not to make any public statements on the detail of talks, including through the media or on social media.
On Thursday, March 16th, the government agreed a deal with NHS staff, whose unions have been negotiating for two weeks.
According to the NEU, around 300,000 teachers across England walked out on Wednesday and Thursday.
On both days, 47% of schools in England restricted attendance, while 6 per cent closed altogether.
Strike Action
London faced the greatest disruption, with between 82 and 83% of schools restricting attendance or closed this week, compared to between 38 and 39% in the East Midlands.
Overall, a slightly higher proportion of schools closed or restricted attendance for this week’s action (53%) than on the first day of strikes on February 1 (51.7%).
However, on the first day of action last month, a higher proportion (8.9%) closed fully.
Secondary schools were the most affected. On Thursday, 86% of secondary schools closed or restricted attendance, in comparison to 47% of primary schools and 69%of special schools. Figures were similar on Wednesday.
Special schools were more likely to be fully-closed (10%) than secondary or primary schools (6%).