TEACHERS in St Helens are set to go on strike for a third day on Wednesday over the ongoing NEU dispute.

NEU member have seven days of action planned although the union says “only four will impact on schools in St Helens”.

The first took place on February 1 with February 28 second, with further planned strikes today, March 15 and tomorrow, March 16, as schools in the town are set to be disrupted again.

What the St Helens NEU is saying 

After the second day of strike action a fortnight ago, Patrick White, secretary of the St Helens NEU branch, said: "The feeling among members is still very buoyant and they are fed up with the games that Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, is playing.

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Teachers are over 20 per cent down in terms of pay from 13 years ago and they are fed up with this Government constantly offering pay rises way below the rate of inflation.

"This is not only an attack on teachers' pay but on state education in general which is being constantly underfunded."

He addded a large contingent of St Helens teachers had made the journey over to Manchester for a North-West Regional Rally on February 28, where Mary Bousted , joint-general secretary of The National Education Union spoke.

Mr White added: "We want to remind everyone that teachers do not want to strike but have been forced into this by a Government who clearly do not value them or the state education system in general.

"We are fighting for the future of our education system."

'Playing politics'

The Government has not met the National Education Union (NEU) for fresh talks ahead of the planned strikes on 15 and 16 March, despite it being Britain’s largest education union.

Ms Bousted accused Gillian Keegan of “playing politics”.

She added: “The Education Secretary needs to call all the education unions together to hold dispute resolution talks to get the issue of teacher pay in England sorted.

“Gillian Keegan needs to take a leaf out of the Welsh Government’s book, stop playing politics and get down to serious negotiation.”

NEU strike action this week was called off in Wales with a new, revised pay offer to be put to teacher members.

Earlier this month, the government said the NEU had refused its "serious offer" and that the strikes were causing "disruption" for pupils.

"Children deserve to be in school, and further strike action is simply unforgivable, especially after everything children have been through because of the pandemic," education Secretary Gillian Keegan said.