A National Commission on Teachers’ Pay could raise the status of teaching, restore salary competitiveness, and improve teacher recruitment and retention.
The idea has been put forward by the NASUWT, which says that the body could help to “restore the independence of the pay review body process”.
The National Education Union (NEU) has also agreed to lobby for the creation of a national commission "as a means of achieving a longer-term pay correction".
It comes as the likelihood of pre-summer strike action by teachers over pay has diminished.
An indicative ballot by the NASUWT saw 78% of its members reject plans to formally ballot for industrial action.
The NASUWT has not ruled out running further indicative ballots later this year. However, at the union’s annual conference in Harrogate during Easter, the headline motion called instead on the NASUWT to ramp-up its political campaigning ahead of the general election later this year to secure a “new deal for teachers” including a real-terms restoration in pay and a maximum 35-hour working time limit.
A similar indicative ballot of NEU members saw 90.3% backing plans for a formal ballot (on a turn-out of 50.3% – which would be just enough to pass legal thresholds for industrial action).
However, teachers at the NEU’s annual conference in Bournemouth, which also took place during Easter, threw out a motion calling for a June ballot. Instead, the conference agreed to wait to see what the pay offer for September is before potentially moving to a formal strike ballot.
An amended urgent motion instructed the NEU to “intensify” its campaigning work in the meantime. The union is now planning to put the actual pay offer to members before any decision on a formal ballot.
Teaching unions have long been angered by government interference with the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), which is charged with making recommendations over teachers’ pay each year.
There was anger again this year after the Department for Education called for “restraint” in its remit to the STRB and said in its evidence that teacher pay rises should “return to a more sustainable level” after last year’s 6.5% increase. Indeed, the DfE says that school budgets next year will only allow for an increase in spending of £600m which effectively would cap any pay rise at 2%.
The NASUWT says that a National Commission could be established by government with the agreement of unions and employers, and that the next government should be obliged to act on the Commission’s decisions and recommendations.
It comes as a survey of 7,000 NASUWT members – published to coincide with the union’s conference in Harrogate – found that 88% are worried about their finances. The NASUWT has already called for a minimum 8% award for all teachers and headteachers.
As well as concerns about personal finances, the union’s membership survey also found that only 10% believe their workload to be manageable while 65% said they were working more than 50 hours a week – 7 in 10 of the teachers said workload had increased this academic year.
The NEU has also demanded a “major correction” in teacher pay in light of the impact of the cost of living crisis and inflation – which has all but wiped out last year’s 6.5% pay increase.
The urgent motion on pay and funding at the NEU conference called on the union to “continue to campaign for a fully funded above inflation pay rise for 2024/25, and (for the creation of a) commission as a means of achieving a longer-term pay correction”.
The NEU wants to see a commission similar to the Houghton Commission which was set up in 1974 to investigate teachers’ pay across the UK amid soaring inflation and industrial action. The commission recommended changes to the salary structure for teachers and substantial increases in their pay.
A number of motions at both events focused on issues relating to pay and workload.
At the NASUWT, another debate called for an end to the burgeoning culture of “golden hellos and cash incentives” designed to tackle recruitment problems in subject shortages with a motion urging the government to instead focus on an across the board restoration of pay for all teachers.
A second motion instructed the union to campaign for an additional 10% to be added to PPA (planning, preparation and assessment) time, noting that many teachers “need to work beyond their allocated PPA time to complete their professional duties”. This would mean standard PPA time increasing to 20%.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: “After achieving an overwhelming majority vote in our recent indicative ballot, NEU conference committed to intensify its campaign to win a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise and greater resources for schools and colleges.
“The NEU (has) put this government, and any new government that follows it, on notice. We will move to a formal strike ballot in England and Wales if and when necessary to save our schools and colleges.”
Mr Kebede said the indicative ballot was “a clear message to (education secretary) Gillian Keegan” and called on her to meet unions to “directly discuss the question of pay and funding”.
He added: “Having already clipped the wings of the STRB by capping the cost envelope for pay at 1-2%, the government cannot pass the buck.”
NASUWT general secretary, Dr Patrick Roach, said: “Teachers have seen their pay fall in real-terms by as much as 30% (as measured against inflation) over the last decade. A new National Commission should be charged with boosting teachers’ pay.
“The teaching profession is in the midst of a crisis of recruitment, retention and morale, with 40,000 teachers leaving in the last year alone.
“Time and time again, we have asked this government to commit to restoring teachers’ pay and they have failed to act. We need a government that will match teachers’ ambitions for a world-class education service, and that means a new government that will deliver a new deal for teachers.”