Jon Samuel

Enjoy your Sunday night teachers!

There are two reasons why teachers’ unions are deeply unhappy at the government’s recommendation to the statutory review body that this year’s pay settlement should be 2.8%. The first is that it will probably mean teachers’ pay lagging private sector pay for something like the 15th consecutive year. And will not make good the inflationary erosion of the last two years, even after this summer’s 5.5% award. There is very little chance, on a settlement of that magnitude, that the chronic shortage of teachers and teaching assistance will be remedied. Union leaders are already muttering about probable industrial action. Sorry parents. The second cause of teachers’ concern is that any settlement will have to be funded by making cuts to school budgets. There will be no additional money for salary increases. So where does Bridget Philipson, the education secretary, think there is fat in schools that can be eliminated? Well last night she met union leaders as a courtesy, to forewarn them about her submission to the pay review body. She told them she did not want or expect them to find the money by eliminating core education provision. Instead she suggested they find the money by moving energy suppliers or finding a new bank. It’s what you might call the Uswitch approach to increasing public sector productivity. And I cannot find a single union rep who thinks it’ll avoid the need for redundancies. In a nutshell, this is not what teachers - who overwhelmingly voted for Labour - expected from this government.