School teacher strike LIVE: Hundreds of thousands walkout in biggest protest in years
Hundreds of thousands of workers – including school teachers – are going on strike for what will be the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade today.
Teachers in England and Wales, who are members of the National Education Union (NEU), have embarked on their first day of strikes, which threaten to disrupt more than 23,000 schools.
The walkouts, which could see more than 100,000 teachers take action in a dispute over pay, come on the same day that university lecturers, train drivers, civil servants, bus drivers and security guards are going on strike.
The NEU is estimating that around 85% of schools in England and Wales will be fully or partially closed on Wednesday.
Rail passengers also face another day of travel disruption as train driver members of Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will strike once more in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
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Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Protests are due to be held across the country against the Government’s controversial plans for a new law on minimum service levels during strikes.
It comes as fresh strikes have been announced for later this month, with thousands of ambulance workers across five services in England set to take action on February 10 in a long-running dispute over pay and staffing.
Thousands of Environment Agency workers are also expected to strike on February 8 in a dispute over pay.
The latest research by the TUC suggests that the average public sector worker is more than £200 a month worse off compared to a decade ago.
Downing Street has conceded that the mass strike action on Wednesday will be “very difficult” for the public.
Follow our live blog below for all the latest updates and reaction.
Will children still have to go to school during strikes?
Children should go to class as normal unless they are told otherwise by their school.
The Department for Education is urging schools to take “all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible”.
However, it is up to heateachers to decide whether they shut their doors or how to run the school day with reduced staffing.
Schools are being told to prioritise vulnerable kids, the children of critical workers and those sitting exams if they have to restrict numbers of pupils in the classroom.
Union boss says disruption is happening ‘every day’ in schools
Some 23,400 schools are expected to be affected today when tens of thousands of teachers swap classrooms for picket lines to show their fury over more than a decade of squeezed pay.
In a message to parents on Wednesday, NEU Joint General Secretary Kevin Courtney said: “The strike will disrupt their child’s education and we regret that, and it will disrupt their home life and their work life and we regret that.
“We sincerely regret it, but we’re pointing to disruption that is happening every day in schools.
“If we don’t persuade Government to invest in education that disruption just carries on.”