TOMORROW, Thursday, April 27, members of the National Education Union will hold a march and rally in Crediton’s Town Square to send a message to Central Devon MP Mel Stride, who is a member of the Conservative Government Cabinet.

The event is being held from 11am and is designed to tell the Government that it needs to address school staff concerns to tackle the failure to recruit and retain staff.

Michael Gurney, secretary of the Devon National Education Union, explained: “Members of the National Education Union are on strike over pay and funding.

“We do not want to be on strike but we feel we have been left with no option.

“Schools are in crisis with many lessons being covered by non-specialist Teachers in secondary schools.

“Schools cannot recruit and many teachers who do train don't stay due to low pay and high workload. Our pay has declined by more than 20 per cent in the last decade. 

“On Thursday members of the Union are going to be meeting in Crediton because we want to engage with parents and pressurise local MPs.

“Mel Stride is the MP for Central Devon and is a Cabinet Minister.

“His government is refusing to even talk to teachers to try and resolve our dispute.

“The offer that the government made to teachers was rejected, not just by our members but also by both of the headteacher unions.

“The reason why 98 per cent of our members rejected the deal was because it was not properly funded and would have resulted in even more cuts in schools.

“Locally we are already dealing with unprecedented levels of redundancies.

“The government has a responsibility to return to the negotiating table to try to resolve this dispute. 

“Our members care deeply about the Education we deliver. We have given members dispensation to teach exam classes in the strike action we are taking this time. 

“We apologise for the disruption but believe that this is short-term pain in order to try and find a long-term solution to the problems of recruitment and funding in our schools.”

GIANT POSTCARD

Union members will be asking the public to sign a giant postcard which it is going to deliver to Mel Stride’s Parliamentary office.

The rally will be a family friendly event and children will be welcome.

School colleagues are being urged to attend or from people’s workplaces and are reminded to take along their posters and banners.