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Teacher strikes: Talks at impasse after NEU 'pause' offer and DfE ultimatum

Recruitment & Retention Pay and conditions Government policy Trade unions
The National Education Union has said is willing to consider pausing next week’s planned strike action but only if “substantive progress” can be made in formal government talks. The government meanwhile says formal talks cannot even take place unless the walk-outs are called off.
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It comes after education secretary Gillian Keegan on Tuesday (February 21) offered to move to more intensive “formal talks” on “pay, conditions and reform” but only on condition that the NEU call-off three days of strike action planned for February 28, March 1 and 2. The government has said that if the strike action is not called off then there will be no talks.

However, the NEU says it is “unacceptable” and “incredible” that the DfE expects the NEU to call off strike action without giving any information on the scope of the formal talks it is offering. The union stated that it will not agree to call off its strikes unless the government negotiates in "good faith".

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