Teachers to go out on strike next month

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) confirmed that the date planned for the action is Wednesday March 26.

If talks before that date are unsuccessful in averting the strike, it will be the third national strike since the NUT balloted members in 2011.

Teaching union chiefs last met government officials last October.

At the crux of the dispute is anger over the launch of a new performance-related pay system — and changes to pensions structure.

In previous action, members of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Women Teachers (NASUWT) have also walked out.

But they are still to decide and officials were due to meet this week to make a decision.

However the Department for Education says any action will damage the education of children and will be unpopular with parents who will have to arrange alternative childcare — as well as ‘damage the reputation of the profession’.

If both unions decide to strike, the move will affect most schools in Derbyshire and the rest of the country.

NUT General Secretary Christine Blower said that reassurances were given during the meeting with the government last year that education secretary Michael Gove would talk about a wide range of matters, including pay and pensions.

But she said he had subsequently “put obstacle after obstacle in the way of talks”.