THE GOVERNMENT has been urged to open talks to prevent national strikes by Britain’s largest education union this year.

The National Education Union (NEU) members passed a motion today to hold a snap poll on a formal ballot after receiving the offer.

If it is rejected in the poll, delegates agreed that the union should move to a formal ballot on strike action.

The NEU is calling for an above-inflation pay rise and real terms return to 2010 education funding.

The School Teachers’ Review Body  (STRB) is expected to recommend a pay award to ministers this summer.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede suggested that teacher walkouts could be staged in the autumn term if a formal ballot on pay and funding was successful.

He said: “Members are putting Education Secretary Gillian Keegan on notice that should there be a paltry pay award, as we are expecting from the STRB of 1 or 2 per cent, that we will be moving to a formal ballot.

“I think the Secretary of State needs to prevent any collision course. I’m very open to start talks now to prevent us to move to a national ballot at a later date.

“The government needs to take action to solve the crisis that is threatening to destroy education, but if it — or any government that comes after it — does not, we will.”

The motion also stated the NEU will seek commitment for political parties to restore education funding across all sectors to pre-2010 per pupil funding levels, “making clear the union is committed to a formal ballot should it be required.”

It came after walkouts received an overwhelming 90 per cent backing on a turnout of 50.3 per cent in an indicative ballot.

Members also noted that “Labour will likely form the next government.

“While we will be able to work with a Labour government on some policy areas, we will need to campaign against them on others.

“No matter who is in government, the bedrock of our power is collective organisation and action at the workplace.”

The emergency motion was debated in private.

Last month, the Department for Education (DfE) said in evidence to the STRB that teachers’ pay awards should “return to a more sustainable level” after “two unprecedented years.”

In July last year, the government agreed to implement the STRB’s recommendation of a 6.5 per cent increase for teachers in England, and co-ordinated strike action by four education unions was called off.