Teachers' strike: Second walkout across Wales over pay

Thousands of pupils in Wales are staying at home on Thursday due to a strike by members of a teachers' union.

Action was suspended last month while the National Education Union (NEU) considered an improved package, which it then turned down.

The NEU said the offer was "not good enough" but the Welsh government insisted it was a "strong" deal.

Ministers offered an additional 1.5% pay increase on top of the 5% already promised this year.

They then pledged another 1.5% as a one-off payment, as well as bringing in measures to address the workload of teachers.

NEU officials then met and rejected the offer, saying strikes would go ahead on 2, 15 and 16 March.

It said the offer failed to address the cost of living crisis or the "damage" to pay since 2010.

The Welsh government responded by saying it was working within "challenging financial constraints".

"We believe an offer that is the equivalent of an 8% pay rise, with 6.5% consolidated, is a strong one in the context of a reducing Welsh government budget," a spokesman said.

"For teachers to be able to benefit from an additional backdated pay rise for 2022-23, an agreement will be needed by mid-March."

The first NEU walkout on 1 February saw about 40% of Wales' 1,500 schools closed and hundreds more only open to some year groups.

Stacey Boucher, a teacher in Ysgol y Deri special school in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, said two members of staff had left for better paid jobs since the last strike a month ago.

"It's a difficult job but it's a job people love to come to, and with the wages people are just leaving and it's really sad," she said.

Joining her on the picket line, another teacher, Suzie Tyack, said she was not striking for personal gain but for better funding for schools and extra money for support staff.

"We've had no offer for support staff and they are completely underfunded in our system," she added.

At bilingual school Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy in Llanrwst, Conwy county, the doors will be open for pupils in Year 7, 12 and 13 only - the rest will be asked to stay at home because of staff shortages.

Head teacher Owain Gethin Davies said: "It will impact on pupils in years 10 to 13 who are losing important days to prepare for assessments and exams.

"There isn't much time until the exams which obviously puts pressure on us as a school and there are concerns among parents."

NEU Cymru policy officer Stuart Williams said members did not want to go on strike and dates in March could be avoided if government officials "get around the table and give us an improved offer".

He pledged pupils would not "be at a loss" if further strike days go ahead, but added: "Workload is a huge concern.

"There are also problems with recruiting staff into education. They didn't hit their recruitment targets for the last six or seven years into secondary and primary education so there are issues there."

Members of the National Association of Headteachers are also continuing with action short of a strike, claiming more detail is needed on the deal offered by ministers.

It postponed a ballot to ask members for views on the revised offer, saying it wanted more clarity on school funding and reducing workload.

The Welsh government said it had written to unions with a "comprehensive offer on workload".