It comes as a study involving 10,500 teachers found that the vast majority are worried about their personal finances – with 1 in 10 admitting to taking on second jobs to make ends meet.
The aim is that a National Commission on pay could raise the status of teaching, restore salary competitiveness, and improve teacher recruitment and retention.
The idea was floated earlier this year by the NASUWT, which said it could “restore the independence of the pay review body process”.
The National Education Union is also lobbying for the creation of a national commission "as a means of achieving a longer-term pay correction".
It comes as uncertainty over this year’s pay rise continues due to the hiatus in government activity caused by the general election.
The government normally publishes the pay recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) in mid-July, but the election on July 4 could well delay this process.
There was anger earlier 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. It was widely expected that any pay rise this year would be capped at 2%.
At the NEU’s annual conference in Bournemouth during Easter members agreed to wait to see what the pay offer for September is before potentially moving to a formal strike ballot.
The NASUWT has not ruled out running indicative strike ballots later this year. However, at its annual gathering, also during Easter, members instructed the union to ramp-up its political campaigning ahead of the general election to secure a “new deal for teachers”, including a real-terms restoration in pay and a maximum 35-hour working time limit.
NASUWT has this week released early findings from its annual Big Question research, which gleans views from UK teachers. This year’s findings show that of the 10,500 teachers involved in the study:
- 82% do not believe that teaching is competitive with other professions in terms of pay and rewards on offer.
- 76% do not believe they are paid fairly for their levels of skill and experience.
- 78% believe potential recruits are put off the profession due to pay.
- 82% are worried about their finances – with 17% describing themselves as “very worried”.
The findings also reveal that 58% of the teachers say they can no longer build their savings, while 53% have had to cut down expenditure on food and 23% have increased their use of credit and loans. Worryingly, 12% have had to take a second job.
The NASUWT says that the 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.
Commenting on the survey findings this week, NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “Over the last 14 years, teachers have seen the value of their pay fall in real terms by as much as 30% while their workloads and working hours have continued to increase.
“It’s no surprise that the current government’s record of failure has left the majority of teachers feeling undervalued and seriously considering quitting the job. Tackling the teacher recruitment and retention crisis must be a first order priority for the next government.
“Boosting teachers’ pay and tackling excessive workload and working hours are key to solving the recruitment and retention crisis. It’s not rocket science.”