LONDON (Reuters) – Teachers in Wales postponed strike action planned for next week to consider an improved pay offer, their union said on Thursday.
Britain has been hit by a wave of strike action across the healthcare, railway, postal and civil service sectors in recent months, as workers call for pay rises to match inflation which stands at around 10%, its highest level for four decades.
In Wales, the government has improved its pay offer plus offered a lump sum award, prompting the National Education Union (NEU) to call off a walk out scheduled for Feb. 14 to consult its members. The walkout has been postponed until March 2.
But strikes planned by teachers in England, for dates later in February and March, are still set to go ahead, as no new offer has emerged there.
“The willingness of the Welsh Government to engage in talks with us about the current pay dispute is in stark contrast to the position taken by Westminster,” the NEU said in a statement, referring to the English government.
In England, the government has said large pay rises are unaffordable and will only fuel further inflation.
Teachers across both England and Wales had already staged walkouts on Feb. 1. The NEU says that since 2010 the profession has seen a 23% pay cut in real terms.
Nurses in Wales cancelled strikes earlier this month after a better offer from the Welsh government. On Thursday, firefighters across Britain postponed their strikes after also receiving a new pay offer.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Frances Kerry)
