Teachers in Pontypool on strikes, pay and training demands

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) went on strike for the first of four planned days of action in Wales, fuelled by calls for a better pay offer.

Also on strike nationwide were some rail workers, civil servants and security guards on a day labelled “Walkout Wednesday”.

In Pontypool, local teachers said they felt compelled to take action over what they perceived as long-standing government failures to invest properly in education.

Sophie Toovey has 15 years' experience in the profession and is currently a secondary school teacher in the Pontypool area.

She said the issue was partly about salaries but also the knock-on effects low pay had on discouraging new people into teaching, thereby adding to pressures on existing staff.

"Because pay has dropped it means we aren’t attracting new teachers," she said. "A lot of experienced teachers are leaving. Fewer staff means we are bearing a heavier burden. I’m really concerned the government isn’t taking it seriously enough."

Teachers and supporters hold a demonstration in Pontypool as part of the NEU's demands for a better pay offer from the Welsh Government. (Image: Newsquest)

This could have serious consequences for children, she warned.

"We’re filling the gaps to meet the shortfall,” she said. “It’s a very stressful situation. It can really affect the way a school runs."

Secondary school teacher Sam Collins has 22 years' experience and is based in Cwmbran.

She told the Argus teachers were reluctant to go on strike but felt they had gone unheard by politicians.

"We don’t take action like this particularly often," she said. "People don’t leave their classrooms easily. To have so many out today really shows the depth of feeling."

Teachers and supporters hold a demonstration in Pontypool as part of the NEU's demands for a better pay offer from the Welsh Government. (Image: Newsquest)

Like Ms Toovey, she believed pay had to improve if the government was to attract more people into the profession.

"Yes, it’s an argument over a pay offer, but it’s also about the recruitment and retention of staff,” she said. “There’s been a failure to recruit enough trainee teachers.

"I think the government needs to listen more. They need to make working in education, whether as a teacher or a support member of staff, an attractive career to go into.”

The Welsh Government said it would continue “constructive meetings” with unions.

"We want to reassure learners, parents and carers that we are working with partners to resolve the current dispute and that we understand the strength of feeling amongst the education workforce," a spokesperson said.

“Unlike the UK Government, we are not responding to the strikes by bringing forward new, draconian laws, which would restrict workers’ rights.  Instead, we are working in social partnership with unions to explore a way to resolve the current dispute.”