THOUSANDS of East Yorkshire parents and pupils will face disruption next month when teachers join a day of industrial action.
Teachers who are members of the NUT (National Union of Teachers) will be involved in action on Thursday, July 10, in what could become the biggest strike for generations.
Other public-sector workers, including council employees, are being balloted for strikes.
The NUT has already been involved in a series of one-day strikes over pay, workload and pensions, which have forced school closures.
Mike Whale, NUT Hull branch secretary, said: "We are taking action on July 10 to coincide with other unions going on strike over pay.
"The NUT has decided to take strike action that day to maximise the impact of our strike and support colleagues who are going on strike.
"It could be the biggest strike in generations. It has some of the character of the 'Winter of Discontent' strikes of 1979 in the sense that it's the manual-worker unions in the councils coming out.
"It shows there's huge dissatisfaction across all parts of the public sector."
The latest action follows NUT strikes last October and in March, with almost 100 Hull and East Riding schools affected by the last walkout.
Mr Whale said: "Obviously, we don't want to cause problems as far as parents are concerned but, inevitably, a strike by definition would not be worth it if there was no impact."
In the last strike, ten East Riding schools were shut and 50 were partially closed. Two Hull schools were forced to close and more than 30 were partly shut.
Mr Whale said: "It will have an impact in schools on July 10. I think a lot of schools will be affected."
The strike avoids the crucial GCSE and A-level exam period but Mr Whale warned there could be further strikes in the autumn.
He said: "Unison, Unite and the GMB are talking about two days of strike action in September.
"I think there is a growing clamour from within the NUT that the action needs to escalate.
"We have had a series of one-day strikes spread over two or three years.
"This is not action that any teacher wants to take, but we are just not prepared to sit back and allow Michael Gove and the Government to, bit by bit, dismantle our pay and conditions. We will fight those reforms."
Mr Whale warned that young teachers are turning away from the profession because of dissatisfaction with pay, workload and conditions.
He said: "Forty per cent of young people are leaving teaching after five years.
"There is huge dissatisfaction and I think there will be a problem with recruitment and having qualified teachers in classrooms."
Julie Davies, East Riding NUT branch secretary, said teachers have received support from many parents. Hundreds have signed the branch's petition, which members have been taking onto the streets of the East Riding, calling for a fairer deal for teachers.
She said: "We were out leafleting in Beverley last Saturday and the feedback from parents was very positive. As soon as you talk to someone who knows a teacher they are very sympathetic; they know what is happening in teaching."
The branch petition also calls for fairer funding for education. Ms Davies said there was huge concern over East Riding schools becoming the worst-funded in the country.
She said: "A lot of parents support the campaign and agree with what teachers are doing. Going on strike is very contentious but we are in a very difficult situation. We are the only union still standing in terms of standing up to Michael Gove and challenging what he is doing."
