Teachers pushed towards strikes by market forces

The general secretary of the main teachers’ union, the NASUWT, Matt Wrack, is, it is fair to say, a man of the left — unafraid to challenge the status quo, not least within the Labour Party. A former head of the Fire Brigades Union and president of the TUC, Mr Wrack is relatively new to the role, and indeed to the world of education, yet he already looks set to prove a formidable advocate for his members’ interests.

There is nothing wrong with that – it is, after all, what he was elected to do – and it may mean that the country is reminded of the vital role teachers play in the material and cultural wellbeing of the nation. It may also, however, mean trouble in schools next year, according to The Independent.

Indeed, Mr Wrack all but acknowledges as much in his interview with The Independent: “I think that teachers at our union, undoubtedly, by our conference next April, it’s inevitable there will be a discussion about industrial action. I think at least it will come up as an option for people to consider.”

As it happens, Mr Wrack has a strong case. Ironically, it rests less on socialist principles or egalitarianism than on brutal market realities. Britain, a country that relies on human capital as much as any other kind to pay its way in the world, is short of teachers. Demand is high, especially in maths, science and computing; supply is insufficient. That means pay is set too low. It is an argument drawn from Adam Smith rather than Karl Marx — and it is the most persuasive one Mr Wrack has.

While so much attention has been focused by all the main parties on the “growth” project and, post-Brexit, stagnant investment in plant, machinery, infrastructure and innovation, far less has been said about making the next generation of Britons globally competitive. Given Britain’s poor demographics, it is more essential than ever to ensure that a highly productive cohort of younger workers is able to support an increasing number of ageing retirees, many of whom will require extensive health and social care. Meeting these economic imbalances and international challenges will require building on the genuine improvements in school standards achieved by the last government — but doing so with a newly energised and more resilient teaching profession.

There is no escaping the centrality of pay and conditions to attracting talented people into teaching — and retaining them. AI is not yet able to supplant teachers, and nor will it be for some time. Mr Wrack and his counterparts in the other teaching unions will know that it is not just salaries that matter, but classroom discipline and the resources needed to do the job properly. The National Foundation for Educational Research reports that some 90 per cent of teachers considering leaving the profession in 2024 cited high workload as a factor, while pupil behaviour has become one of the fastest-growing contributors to stress since the pandemic.

Workloads — including marking, class preparation and ever-expanding bureaucratic demands — now eat into weekends as never before. Teachers are encouraged to instil civic values such as tolerance, only to find themselves caught in the crossfire of culture wars. How, for example, should multiculturalism or gender be discussed with the young? There is no longer any clear consensus, leaving teachers in an invidious position. And while accountability and transparency are essential, Ofsted can be a blunt instrument. If pay (including pensions) were higher, such pressures might be tolerable; as it is, they stretch professional commitment beyond breaking point.