Teachers' Strikes Planned in February and March 2023
The National Education Union (NEU), which represents around 450,000 teachers, support staff and school leaders, has announced that teachers in England and Wales will strike on seven dates in February and March 2023.
Schools in England and Wales will be bracing for disruption following the NEU announcement, which comes after announcements from the NASUWT and the NAHT that they failed to meet ballot turnouts for proposed industrial action. NAHT members in Wales have however voted in favour of industrial action after the ballot there met turnout requirements.
We have been working with a number of schools in respect of ballots for industrial action. We have prepared a set of FAQs on the detail of the ballot and notification requirements which may be of interest. We have been helping support schools and Trusts consider their options where the legal notification requirements haven't been complied with and if you'd like to discuss any specifics further please do get in touch.
Most schools will now be focusing on decisions around operations and staffing. The Government has updated its non-statutory guidance on handling strike action in schools. The guidance sets out advice for keeping schools open, including in respect of health and safety obligations, arranging staffing resource during strikes, prioritising pupil attendance and delivering remote learning. We have also prepared some FAQs covering the main queries that schools are raising with us.
Confirmation of the seven teachers' strike dates comes shortly after the Government introduced the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill to Parliament last week. The Bill is designed to give the Secretary of State the power to define minimum service levels across multiple sectors, including the education sector, during industrial action. However, given the need for consultation, the Bill is unlikely to come into force before the February and March teacher strike dates.