Oxfordshire teachers in pay dispute with government

School teachers in Oxfordshire are taking part in three days of industrial action as their pay disputes continues.

It is estimated that 200,000 teachers in England and Wales who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) are participating in the industrial action.

Schools throughout Oxfordshire were forced to close and Cheney School in Headington closed today after teachers were out in full force on the picket line.

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25 teachers from Cheney School were on the picket line this morning with their banners.

Ben Tabarer, a history teacher at the school for five years, said teachers weren’t only striking because of poor pay but were also unhappy with poor working conditions.

He said: “The reason teachers are striking isn’t so much about pay as funding schools properly and better working conditions.

“Loads of teachers are leaving the profession because of the conditions.

“I think the main reason is to show the people of our community and people of Oxford we are serious about what we are trying to achieve here.

“And that we are all working together to get what we think is right for schools and funding”.

Mr Tabarer said there was a “crisis” in schools funding and the current paths they had pursued had not got them anywhere.

He explained: “For years there has been a crisis in funding schools and there have been a lot of avenues gone down that haven’t got us anywhere and it is really a final resort.

“We are trying to show the government something needs to change”.

Mr Tabarer acknowledged the strikes had not been “productive” , as the “government has been posturing” over pay.

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He said one of the main difficulties was the “government thinks they cannot give in because then they need to give in to all the Unions”.

Mr Tabarer was confident that eventually “some compromise” will be reached and said he hoped this would “happen sooner rather than later”.

Ben, a science teacher at the school for five years, said he was out on the picket line because he wanted to show his solidarity with other workers.

He explained: “Strikes are not remotely about me wanting pay because I’ve been teaching for quite a long time.

“It is the solidarity we are showing with newer teachers and future teachers.

“We have had so much burnout in the profession and a lot of that comes from poor pay over the years.

“Conditions are getting really tough”.

Ben said there were lots of workers who could not afford to go on strike or who were not represented by a Union so he felt it was necessary to strike on their behalf.

He said: “Being in the Union means you are in a position where you can take a stand.

“There are lots of workers who don’t have any Union representation.

“It would be wrong to not take the opportunity to stand up for the erosion of workers’ rights along with all the other erosion of public services and social support.”

Cheney School’s economics and business teacher, George Buchanan, said the teacher’s demands were “straight forward” and that teachers were only asking for a “fully funded above inflation pay rise”.

He said: “The government has handled the dispute very poorly”.

“The Education Secretary has come out with an insincere offer of 3 per cent and she knows that is nothing close to what the rate of inflation has been this year.

“That is not a funded pay rise. It is not a real offer, and she is nonsensical.

“I think she will fold as she is a paper tiger.”

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: "As a government, we have made a serious offer to the leaders of the National Education Union and Royal College of Nursing: pause this week's strikes, get round the table and talk about pay, conditions and reforms.

"It is hugely disappointing the NEU has thus far refused this serious offer and has not joined the Royal College of Nursing in calling off strikes.

"Instead of sitting round a table discussing pay, the NEU will once again cause disruption for children and families.

"Children deserve to be in school, and further strike action is simply unforgivable, especially after everything children have been through because of the pandemic."