Teachers in England are due to go on strike on April 27th and May 2, after members of the National Education Union (NEU) rejected the government’s pay offer.
Announcing the move on Monday morning, the NEU said the proposed deal was “unacceptable” and said the dispute was “not going away”.
The government had proposed a “final” offer of £1,000 for most teachers and a rise of 4.3% next year.
But 98% of NEU teacher members in England voted to turn down the deal, on a turnout of 66%.
Many schools in England were forced to partially or fully close during strikes staged by the NEU in February and March as a result of a dispute over pay.
Last week, education secretary Gillian Keegan suggested that teachers could miss out on an increased pay deal this year if they rejected the offer.
Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said: “This resounding rejection of the government’s offer should leave Gillian Keegan in no doubt that she will need to come back to the negotiating table with a much better proposal.
“The offer shows an astounding lack of judgment and understanding of the desperate situation in the education system.
“We have today written to the Education Secretary informing her of the next two days of strike action on April 27 and May 2 that NEU teacher members in England will now be taking.
“These strikes are more than three weeks away; Gillian Keegan can avoid them.”
Members of the NASUWT teaching union, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) are also being asked for feedback on the government’s offer.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said last week that industrial action by school leaders will be “necessary” if NAHT members decide to reject the Government’s “inadequate” pay offer.
In January, a ballot of NAHT members failed to meet the mandatory 50% turnout threshold required for strike action.
But the NAHT has said it could move to a second formal industrial action ballot if its members turn down the government’s pay offer.