Too many schools are awarding inflation-busting pay rises to senior management while many classroom teachers are not even receiving the 1% pay award, the TUC Congress in Brighton heard today.
Speaking in the debate on public sector pay the NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union revealed that the average pay award for teachers last year was a paltry 0.6%, even lower than claims by ministers.
Deputy General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said the pay policies of the government had created not just financial hardship for many teachers, but growing inequality.
This was as schools sat on £2.1 billion in unspent reserves, while many claimed they did not have enough money to pay teachers. Some headteachers have been earning in excess of £400,000 a year, Dr Roach said.
He told the TUC: “For many teachers, these pay reforms have meant no guarantee of a pay award or pay progression.
“Instead, research by the NASUWT has demonstrated that too many schools are diverting money away from teachers to fund inflation-busting pay rises for senior managers.
“Last year, the combined effect of the Government’s pay cap and discretionary pay in schools meant that the average pay award for classroom teachers last year was just 0.6%.
“The Government has imposed pay reforms on teachers that have not only created financial hardship for many, but also growing inequality.”
Dr Roach said the growing inequality and institutionalised discrimination in some schools saw some women teachers earning just 85% of their male counterparts and BME teachers earning less than white teachers.
He added: “The fight to end the cap on public sector pay must be our priority. But, our fight must not end there. We must also continue our fight to end the pay cap and end discriminatory pay practices. “Deliver pay justice for all workers, not just the few.”
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