The National Education Union's (NEU) head, Daniel Kebede, has received a £164,654 compensation package, nearly matching the Prime Minister's salary, according to newly released documents. This represents a £10,000 increase over the previous year , placing Kebede among the highest-paid union leaders in the country and wiithin the top 2 percent of UK earners.

The £164,654 Compensation Package: A Breakdown

The package included a base salary of £137,000, pension and National Insurance contributions of £26,300, and nearly £1,300 for a car and health plan. This level of compensation has sparked outrage,with Conservative MPs criticizing Kebede and the NEU for causing chaos for working people.

Industrial Action and Disruption in Schools

Over the same period, the NEU conducted 230 ballots on industrial action, leading to 25 walkotus or other forms of action short of a strike. a total of 477 working days were lost,an analysis of union documents reveals. The NEU has also issued a 34-page workload bargaining toolkit instructing teachers to refuse work that disrupts their work-life balance, such as marking or responding to emails on weekends or bank holidays.

Government Response and Union Threats

The Department for Education has offered a 6.5 percent pay rise over three years, which the union has dismissed as an insult. The NEU has threatened to ballot for national strikes from October unless the government provides a fully-funded pay offer exceeding inflation. This move has sparked frustration from parents and pupils, including a counterprotest at Connaught School for Girls in east London after 45 days of strikes.