Teachers vote for first strike over pay in 30 years

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The teachers have a case, but striking hurts the cause

Thousands of children in London and the South-east will have lessons disrupted next week after teachers voted yesterday for a one-day strike over pay, the first for 30 years.

Estelle Morris, the Secretary of State for Education, warned teaching unions that a return to "the dark ages of dispute and conflict" would harm children's education and damage teachers' reputation with the public.

The National Union of Teachers, which has 41,000 members, will stage the one-day strike next Thursday, 14 March, but has warned that further strikes could follow.

The NUT wants allowances for living in inner, outer and fringe areas of the capital increased by more than a third. Inner London allowances would rise from £3,000 to £4,000. The Government has offered 3.5 per cent, an increase of just £105. The London allowance for police officers is £6,000.

The union says teachers cannot afford to live in London, forcing schools to rely on supply teachers. Taking Halifax bank's average house price in Greater London – £175,900 – teachers would have to earn almost £53,000 to qualify for a mortgage, officials argue. The starting salary for London teachers will be £20,733 from April, rising to £30,999 after six years.

Headteachers are also threatening industrial action after Easter with a boycott of the Government's performance-related pay scheme.

The NUT ballot showed an overwhelming majority – 86 per cent – in favour of the strike, though only 30 per cent voted. The turn-out was seized on by the Government as evidence that only a minority support the action.

David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said heads should know by the end of the week how the strike will affect their schools, but warned that some schools in areas where NUT membership is strong could close for the day.

Doug McAvoy, the union's general secretary, said schools were suffering because of the inability to recruit and the use of supply staff to cover vacancies and long-term sickness.

Ms Morris condemned the proposed strike as "absolutely nonsensical", saying it would achieve nothing. "It won't change my mind, it won't make the Chancellor suddenly pay out a higher London allowance, it won't change anything."