UNIONS have rounded on the Welsh government’s decision to ignore the independent pay review body’s recommendation on teachers’ wages, branding it a “reckless recipe for disaster.”

The Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) recommended a 4.25 per cent increase from September for teachers, but in a written statement issued on this morning, Education Minister Anna Brychan said this was “not affordable within existing budgets” and announced she would instead offer 3.5 per cent for qualified and 5 per cent for unqualified teachers.

In a statement warning the offer “falls way short of the mark,” NEU Cymru slammed the decision to ignore IWPRB recommendations for the second year running, adding: “We expected the Plaid Cymru government to use its devolved powers and announce a fully funded pay award. 

“Partial funding and no ring-fencing of those funds simply means that some schools will struggle to balance the books. 

“We have warned the Welsh government consistently for several years that unless significantly increased and sustained funding is allocated to schools, many would reach crisis point. 

“We wanted to welcome this award for teachers but sadly we know that this pay rise will come at the expense of other jobs and much-needed resources in schools.”

National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “Consistently diverting funds earmarked for education away from schools and now deliberately underpaying the very professionals that equip and inspire the next generation for the challenges of the future is a reckless recipe for disaster.

“We will now consult members on next actions and the NAHT will do whatever is appropriate to defend the education of young people and the rights of those that deliver it.”

Backing the teaching unions’ calls for an overhaul of education funding, TUC Cymru general secretary Laura Doel said: “At a time when schools are struggling to recruit and retain staff, asking educators to do more with less while rejecting independent pay recommendations sends the wrong message.

“Underfunding schools will not solve the recruitment and retention challenges facing the profession. 

“If the Welsh government is serious about attracting and keeping the skilled staff our children need, it must invest properly in both school budgets and the workforce. 

“The time to act is now.”