Teachers’ strikes tomorrow will see more than eight out of ten schools shut, as parents and children across the country will face disruption. More than 100,000 members of the National Education Union (NEU) are expected to go on strike tomorrow, in the first teaching strike since 2016. Over 18,000 state schools could be impacted, based on the union’s predictions.
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, told The Telegraph that the union expects 85 per cent of schools in England and Wales to be fully or partially closed.
Some schools may not decide until the morning whether to close, fully or partially, as it depends on how many staff choose to join the strike.
The education secretary said it meant “huge uncertainty for parents”.
Gillian Keegan said the strike would have a “significant impact on children’s education”.
However, Schools Minister Nick Gibb later said he expected the “majority” of schools to be open “in some capacity”.
Teacher Tapp, a daily surveying app, polled almost 8,200 teachers on Sunday, of whom 14 percent said their school was planning to close to all pupils, while 44 percent said their school would close “for some pupils”.
London schools are expected to be among the most disrupted, with 23 percent of teachers polled in the capital saying their schools would close for all pupils.
The UK continues to be rocked by strikes across a range of critical sectors, with Firefighters across the UK yesterday voting to take strike action.
More than 80 percent of Fire Brigades’ Union members who voted backed strike action across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland when they were balloted last month.
Fire brigades have said the military will be called in to assist if the strike goes ahead, including the use of the army in Northern Ireland.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the union, said firefighters were compelled to take action because “they have faced a sustained attack on pay for more than a decade”.
Rishi Sunak’s Government introduced new legislation earlier this month which will set “minimum safety levels” for several industries, limiting their ability to take industrial action.
The Government has denied the laws will remove the right to strike, with Business Secretary Grant Shapps saying ministers “absolutely believe in the right to strike”.
But he said the Government is “duty bound” to protect the lives and livelihoods of the public.
