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Wales : PayUp

The NEU is actively campaigning for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise for all educators, and pay restoration to compensate for years of below-inflation increases. 

NEU Cymru members vote to ACCEPT teachers’ pay offer

The results of the online snap poll : A total of 94.3 per cent of voters said they wished to ACCEPT the offer of 5.5%, made by the Welsh Government in September.  The fight to win back the pay teachers have lost in real terms over the last decade and more does not end here. Read more in the press release

Teachers’ 5.5 per cent pay offer

The Welsh Government has decided to make a pay offer in line with England and higher than the 4.3 per cent recommendation of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) Welsh Government will award a 5.5 per cent pay rise to all teachers and leaders in Wales.

Local authorities will receive additional ring-fenced money to fund this pay rise and to plug the gap between 4.3 per cent and 5.5 per cent. Local authorities had been expected to budget for pay rises between 3.5 and 5 per cent. Welsh Government have confirmed they have received additional money from treasury to increased pay offer.  

Your national executive recommendation decision 

What we know

The 5.5 per cent offer is significantly above the anticipated level of inflation in September (2.5 per cent) and would be the largest real terms increase in teacher pay since 2009. In addition, the Welsh Government have allocated an additional £5 million pounds to enable them to pay ALNco’s on the leadership spine. 

This offer has been secured as a direct result of your determined strike action in 2023 and your positive vote on taking further action in our indicative ballot this March.

What we don’t know

The exact sum of additional funding Welsh Government have secured. 

The amount that each local authority has budgeted for.

If the addition £5 million for ALNco’s is sufficient to cover both pay uplifts and the professional time out and training learning package also recommended by the IWPRB.

If we can trust that this year that ring fenced additional money will go directly into school budgets (despite assurance in the pay year of 22-23 we know this did not happen in all local authorities across Wales) 

Because we did not get all of the clarity we sought during meeting with Welsh Government your elected Wales executive members felt they would put this offer to you neutrally with no recommendation, so that you can have your say and decide if you accept or reject based on what we do know. 

While this 5.5 per cent pay offer is not enough to correct over a decade of erosion of teachers’ pay, we believe it is a significant step in the right direction. 

We must use the snap poll as a springboard to intensify our campaign for a longer-term correction in teacher pay, workload and flexible working.

You will find a more detailed explanation of the government offer and FAQs on how the snap poll will operate elsewhere on this page, alongside resources you can download to promote the snap poll in your school.

Note: This 5.5 per cent pay award for teachers and leaders is subject to statutory consultation as part of the 2024 School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document (STPC(W)D). Accordingly, as in previous years, members will not receive it in their pay packets until November, when it will be backdated to 1 September 2024.

Support staff pay

This 5.5 per cent pay award is for teachers and leaders only. Support staff pay is determined by a different process – in negotiations between the Local Government Association and Unison, GMB and Unite. 

We are extremely proud of what we, as a whole union and you, as a union rep, have achieved. Together, I know that we can – and will – achieve much more.

Welsh Government offer explained

The Welsh Government has decided to award a pay increase in line with England and higher than the 4.3 per cent recommendation of the Independent Wales Pay Review Body (IWPRB).

NEU Cymru evidence to the IWPRB 2024

NEU Cymru has sent written evidence to the IWPRB calling for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise that constitutes a meaningful step towards a long-term correction in pay and significant improvements in workload.  The NEU Cymru evidence sets out the overwhelming evidence in support of our call for urgent improvements to teacher pay and conditions to repair the damage to teacher pay and address the recruitment and retention crisis.  Members’ experiences and voices are included in the NEU Cymru evidence. 

NEU Cymru has also submitted supplementary evidence to the IWPRB which addresses the Welsh Government’s evidence to the IWPRB.

IWPRB Report Delay

On the 12th July we met the Cabinet Secretary for Education and she explained there would be a delay in the publishing of the report recommendations and any pay offer from the Welsh Government. You can find her letter to the Welsh Education Trade Unions here.

NEU Cymru and NAHT Cymru also submitted a joint letter to the Cabinet Secretary seeking assurances that any pay uplift would be paid quickly and without unnecessary delay by all Local Authorities across Wales to which she responded.

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