Teachers warned over pay strike

Militant teachers were warned today that they were "living in cloud cuckoo land" over demands for a huge pay rise.

Teachers in London are insisting that allowances for living in the capital should jump from the present £3,000 a year to £4,000 - a 33 per cent rise. The National Union of Teachers has announced a one-day strike - the first in 30 years - to back the demands.

But today Education Secretary Estelle Morris claimed the Government was not about to "roll over". The warning reflects government determination not to be deflected from public-sector reform by burgeoning union militancy. It comes amid threats of strikes on the railways and in local government, and mounting resistance from the police to reform proposals.

Teachers are furious over a pay deal that offers an extra £2 per week to cover the cost of living in the capital, and union leaders have warned that the Government could face further strikes if it "digs in its heels" .

But in an interview with the Evening Standard, Ms Morris showed herself in no mood to compromise. The strike action was "totally unwarranted", she said.

She added: "Teachers who vote for this action have to ask themselves why they are doing it. If they think they are going to get more money in their pay packet for London allowances, it won't work. They will achieve nothing.

"Parents will not understand why teachers are going on strike and depriving their children of a day's education."

Ms Morris's comments came ahead of a speech today, in which she will portray education as the jewel in the crown of public-sector reform - with major advances achieved through sustained investment and the hard work of teachers.

The return of union militancy, she warned, could put that in jeopardy.

She faces a tough fight with Chancellor Gordon Brown for extra money for schools, battling against new priorities in health and transport.

Today Ms Morris said: "The extra resources we have secured for education have come because the Government decided education was the most important public service.

"But the public have to be brought with us on this. It's their money and they want to see it spent well. At the moment, in education, they see us delivering. This totally unwarranted action runs the risk of damaging that public support."

Ms Morris acknowledged the difficulty for schools in London of recruiting and keeping good teachers, saying: "Of course we realise that is an issue."

But she added that no responsible government could meet every pay demand, adding: "Anybody thinking you can have big pay rises and not have implications for the economy is living in cloud cuckoo land."

But the man behind today's strike ballot, NUT executive member Tony Brockman, warned that the Government's hard-line stance would pitch it into a bruising battle with teachers. He said: "It would be a mistake for the Government to underestimate the anger of teachers in London.

"If she digs her heels in, then the chances are this union will do the same. Ministers could find themselves facing not just a single one-day stoppage but a whole succession."