Austerity has seen public services pushed to breaking point over the last decade and there needs to be a New Deal for millions of public sector workers, including teachers, NASUWT – The Teachers Union said today.

Speaking to the TUC Congress in Brighton, Deputy General Secretary Jane Peckham said that in education, teachers faced pay erosion, excessive workloads and inadequate support, leading to burnout and a recruitment and retention crisis.

Ms Peckham was speaking to a motion before Congress, passed unanimously, which calls for competitive pay, improved flexible working and a public sector-wide strategy to celebrate the value of public service.

She told Congress: “Over the past decade, our public services have been pushed to breaking point both by austerity and by the challenges of a global pandemic. Yet despite these immense pressures, millions of dedicated public sector workers have kept our health systems running, our children educated, and our communities safe.

“In education, teachers face pay erosion, excessive workloads, and inadequate support for flexible working. Many are burning out and leaving the profession, not because they don’t love teaching, but because they feel undervalued and overworked.

“The same story can be told across many parts of the public sector. If we don’t change this, our public services will continue to suffer.

 “That’s why we welcome the commitments from the new Labour government to rebuild our public services. But rebuilding alone won’t be enough. We need to rethink how we treat public servants if we are to attract and retain the best

“We can choose to allow our members to continue to struggle, or we can seize this moment to create a fairer, more sustainable future for the public sector workforce.

“Let us stand together and demand a new deal for the public sector —a deal that offers competitive pay, flexibility, career development, and, above all, respect for the essential work they do.”