A teachers’ union has warned it is committed to balloting its members for industrial action in the autumn if there is no improvement in a proposed pay deal.

The NASUWT said a survey of its members in England and Wales showed overwhelming anger and opposition at plans for a 5 per cent increase.

The warning is a sign of further industrial unrest, including in the public sector, with courts staff in Wales and England having voted to strike in a dispute over a new case management system.

Earlier this week the Royal College of Nursing recommended nurses vote for industrial action, for the first time, when they are balloted over pay in September.

The NASUWT teaching union said seven out of 10 of 9,000 teachers in England surveyed, and four out of five of 700 polled in Wales said the pay award should be rejected as unacceptable.

Teachers' pay is devolved but both the Welsh and UK Government offered five per cent increases.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said: “NASUWT members had been clear in demanding that we reject the imposition of a below-inflation pay award.

“This pay offer is yet another pay cut for teachers which will cause even greater damage to the morale of the profession.

“The proposals fall way short of what teachers are demanding, following a decade of real terms pay cuts and the current cost-of-living crisis.

“Ministers have refused to respond to our calls for proper negotiations and, once again, we are calling on ministers to get around the table to find a solution.

“However, in the event that there is no improvement, the union remains committed to balloting its members in the autumn term for industrial action.”

The union, which has called for a 12 per cent pay rise for teachers, is finalising its response to the Westminster and Welsh governments’ consultations on pay.

Both the Welsh Government and the UK Government's Department for Education have previously defended the overall pay offers they have made to teachers.

The Welsh Government has also taken the position that further pay rises would need additional funding from Westminster.

But a Westminster Department for Education spokesman claimed pay rises in line with, or above, inflation, expected to reach 11 per cent, would further push up living costs.

They said: “Double-digit pay awards for public sector workers would lead to sustained higher levels of inflation, which would have a far bigger impact on people’s real incomes in the long run."

In the courts workload is behind a decision by members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) to vote by nine to one for strikes over using the so-called Common Platform system.

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The union said 180 of its members working as legal advisers and court associates in magistrates’ courts in England and Wales are involved in the dispute.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This ballot result sends the clearest message to the Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS).

“They must now act to address the serious and significant issues our members face as a result of the fundamentally-flawed Common Platform.

“Our members are the people who pick up the pieces when Common Platform fails, and they’ve had enough.

“Either HMCTS management fixes the problems, or they face significant, targeted and sustained industrial action.”

A HM Courts and Tribunals Service spokesperson said: “This is a disappointing outcome as we have been working with staff and unions on the rollout of the Common Platform since September 2020, and it has already dealt with over 158,000 criminal cases.

“The Common Platform is key to modernising the court system, making it more efficient so that victims can receive justice more swiftly.”

Additional reporting: PA

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