Teachers across York have voted to strike again next week in an ongoing national fight for an above inflation pay rise.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) across England have voted to go on strike in a dispute over pay and workloads.
Teachers will be staging picket lines outside schools in York on Tuesday, February 28, following the previous strike on February 1, which saw seven schools close.
It has not yet been confirmed with The Press which schools will stage the picket lines.
Earlier this week, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan wrote to teaching unions inviting them to talks on pay, conditions and reform, on the condition that next week’s strike action is cancelled.
However, the NEU has now said it could not agree to those terms in the absence of a "serious proposal" to end the dispute.
Russ Ballinger, the Yorkshire regional secretary of the National Education Union, explained: "Gillian Keegan has done nothing to resolve our dispute - at our meeting on February 15 she made no offer.
"It is the Government’s wish to offer yet another real-terms pay cut in 2023/24.
"The responsibility to avert further strikes rests with the education secretary, and she has failed.
"Her latest proposal was to meet only on the condition that we call off strikes.
"In the absence of anything for us to take to membership for consideration, we are unable to agree to these demands.
"Our members have broken through the threshold for ballots, bravely taken strike action already, and our membership has grown by 49,000 since the ballot result was first announced.
"The strength of feeling is all too clear. Enough is enough."
Downing Street said the offer of talks with the NEU would be put in jeopardy if planned walkouts by teachers were not called off.
Mr Ballinger added: "We regret having to take strike action and the disruption it causes, but it is also self-evident that disruption to education is now part of a pupil's daily life.
"A fully funded, above inflation pay rise would make a significant difference, to ensure children are taught by those who specialise in the subject they are delivering, and stop the brain drain which leads to pupils seeing a revolving door of teachers over the course of a year.
"This is the point we have repeatedly made to the education secretary. It is time for her to come up with solutions.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "It’s extremely disappointing that the NEU’s leadership is not yet prepared to join these talks - and particularly as strikes have a significant impact on children’s education, especially following the disruption of the past two years.
"We urge the NEU to suspend its planned action and get round the table so we can work together to find a fair and reasonable package for hard working teachers and put an end to this uncertainty and disruption for children and families.”
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