Responding to the publication of a letter by Liz Truss, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, to Dr Patricia Rice, Chair of the Schools Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), setting out the terms of reference for the teachers’ 2018/19 pay award, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, said:
“The NASUWT has campaigned for the removal of the 1% public sector pay cap since it was imposed on teachers and we therefore welcome the Treasury’s decision not to continue with a further year of the 1% pay cap in 2018/19.
“However, scrapping the pay cap is not enough; the Government must also address the culture that has developed in many schools that seek to avoid rewarding teachers fairly and appropriately. There is a significant risk that the pay freeze will continue in some schools, even without the constraints of a 1% cap imposed by the Government.
“Last year, the combined effect of the Government’s pay cap and inappropriate pay freedom in schools meant that the average pay award for classroom teachers was just 0.6%.
“The Secretary of State now needs to act to curb the discretion that allows schools to continue to pay teachers as little as they feel they can get away with.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Attached is a copy of the letter from Liz Truss to Dr Patricia Rice.
Lena Davies
Press & Media Officer
NASUWT
0121 457 6250/07867 392746
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