UK teachers plan new strikes as they reject gov.’s offer

Teachers have voted to hold fresh strikes this month and in May after a major union rejected the government's latest pay offer, the local media in the United Kingdom said on Monday.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) voted overwhelmingly against the offer, with 98 percent rejecting it.

Out of 195,564 members who voted in the ballot, 191,319 rejected the offer. If the dispute continues to be unresolved this will mean a fresh round of strikes will take place in England on April 27 and May 2.

The government offered a one-off payment of £1,000 for the current school year as well as a rise of 4.5 percent for most teachers starting in the next year. NEU Joint General Secretary Dr Mary Bousted has said that the ballot has sent a clear message to the government that their offer was 'unacceptable'.

MNA