MANIFESTO

October 2025 

In May 2026, we will be voting in the Welsh Senedd elections.  What message would you like to convey to politicians in Wales?  UCAC has prepared its manifesto in anticipation of the election. 

Our manifesto can be summarised under four points which, in Welsh, splle out our union’s acronym  - UCAC

Uchafbwynt Oriau Gwaith

Maximum Working Hours

We want to ensure that there are clear boundaries to educators’ working days

Cyllid Ysgolion

School Funding

We want fair funding for schools, in order to warrant enough staff and resources

Amodau Gwaith

Working Conditions

We want to ensure educators can focus on their core task – teaching children and young people

Cymraeg

The Welsh Language

We want to ensure that the Welsh language is accorded its deserved status and that there are realistic and valuable opportunities to promote and extend its use

In order to read a full version of the manifesto, please click on the image below.

TEACHERS' PAY RISE - UCAC'S RESPONSE

June 2025 

At its meeting on Friday, June 13^th UCAC’s National Council expressed its disappointment with the Welsh Government’s proposal of a 4% pay rise for teachers.

Although the pay rise appears, at first glance, to be a considerable increase, however, it does compare favourably with the salaries of other professions and does not keep pace with inflation rates over the recent years.  The teaching profession is facing a recruitment and retention crisis, and it must be acknowledged that in order to attract and retain teachers, salaries must be competitive and appealing, reflecting the increasing demands on the workforce. The National Council felt strongly that teachers’ onerous workload along with pupils’ increasingly challenging behaviour need to be addressed urgently.   Recruitment and retention issues will only be resolved when teachers’ working conditions and pay are fair and honourable and when the workforce is accorded the respect it deserves.

Not only is UCAC disappointed with the report’s content, but it is also displeased with the delay in its publication and its failure to match IWPRB’s recommendation of a 4.8% salary increase.  The late announcement means that the workforce will not receive a pay rise until well into the Autumn Term. There is also concern and disappointment that the report has not yet been published in Welsh and UCAC laments the fact that the Welsh language is being treated less favourably than English.