UK strikes: half a million workers demand ‘fair pay’ the biggest mass action in the UK since 2011. Most schools in England affected by strikes #Industrial_action #England

"More than half of schools in England either restricted attendance or closed during teacher strikes on Wednesday, government data suggested.

Teachers in England and Wales were among thousands of workers taking action during what was said to be the biggest strike day for a decade.

University staff, train drivers, bus drivers and civil servants separately walked out. 

Most were taking action over pay not keeping pace with inflation. 

Department for Education estimates on school closures released on the day were based on attendance data from 77% (16,400) of state-funded primary and secondary schools in England. 

The department said this data showed: 

    43.9% of the schools were fully open 

    42.8% were open but restricting attendance 

    8.9% were fully closed 

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said she was grateful to head teachers for how they had worked to keep schools open. 

"Conversations with unions are ongoing and I will be continuing discussions around pay, workload, recruitment and retention, and more." 

But Ms Keegan admitted being surprised to learn that teachers were not legally bound to let their bosses know whether they planned to turn up to class during industrial action." 

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