DfE and Ofsted officials to join one day strike next month
Joe Lepper
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) members across 124 government departments and agencies, including Ofsted and the Department for Education, are set to strike on February 1.
The civil service union has confirmed that DfE and Ofsted are among government workplaces that have exceeded the 50 per cent threshold of eligible members needed to back strike action.
Out of 1,031 votes cast among DfE staff, 911 voted to strike, compared with 120 who voted against.
Meanwhile, 161 votes were cast among Ofsted union members, with a similar proportion also voting to strike. Action was voted for by 141 Ofsted officials to 20.
The strike action is being taken by union members over pay, pensions as well as employment and redundancy terms. It is expected that 100,000 union members will take part in the one-day strike.
“As the cost-of-living crisis worsens, with inflation at nearly 11 per cent, members are saying they’ve had enough of being treated appallingly,” said the PCS.
“Our campaign is for a 10 per cent pay rise, pensions justice, job security and no cuts in redundancy terms.”
Strike action is being coordinated with other unions taking action on this day, as well as the launch of a campaign by the Trade Union Congress over pay and employment conditions.
“Industrial action is a last resort, added the PCS.
“But so far, the government has refused to discuss our demands. 100,000 PCS members on strike on 1 February will increase the pressure on the government.”
🚨🚨 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬!!🚨🚨
— PCS Union (@pcs_union) January 11, 2023
100,000 Public and Commercial Services (PCS) members in 124 government departments and other bodies* will take strike action on 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏.
More to follow.#PCSonStrike #BlameTheGovt #RightToStrike
Teachers are also poised to strike over pay and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, according to the National Education Union (NEU).
It says teachers have seen a 23 per cent pay cut in real terms since 2010 and the cut is 27 per cent for teaching support staff over the same period.
"Given this climate, one that is built on years of real-terms cuts to pay, it is no surprise to see applications to teacher training well below Government targets, and schools reporting difficulties recruiting and retaining staff,” said NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney.
“Across the curriculum, there are shortages of teachers. Without qualified teachers in the classroom the education of our children and young people will suffer greatly. That is something that parents and employers will not forgive.
"This is the problem the government has. We don't want to go on strike, but we may have to.
“We want the government to make a correction on teacher pay, to protect the profession and to protect the education of the young people in our schools. We want a real-terms correction for the pay of educators and we want funding to follow that into schools."
