Teaching unions unite on pay and conditions claim

Concerted pressure is being applied to the School Teacher's Review Body (STRB) for a better deal on pay and conditions of employment next year.

Five unions representing teachers in England and Wales (ATL, NASUWT, NUT, PAT and UCAC) have made a joint submission to the review body which calls for "a fundamental change in teachers' salary structure and conditions of service" like that agreed in Scotland earlier this year.

The unions are warning that recruitment and retention problems will worsen without substantial improvements in overall salary levels.

They want a shortened salary scale of six points, rising to £28,000 for all main scale teachers.

The unions also want teachers to move to a chartered teacher scale (as will be the case in Scotland from next April) with salaries rising up to £43,000.

They also argue that posts of "meaningful additional responsibilities" should be identified and assigned through a "job sizing" agreement.

These proposals are put forward as an alternative to the "golden hellos", "welcome back bonuses" and "fast track" schemes introduced by the government which, the unions say, will not solve the recruitment crisis.

The unions are also continuing to press their case for improvements in working conditions. In their eyes the Scottish agreement has reaffirmed the existence of minimum standards and entitlements on working time and class contact time.

They say that it "cannot be seriously argued that such standards are inappropriate or unachievable for teachers in England and Wales".