Teachers’ unions are threatening industrial action in September if the government does not agree to its ultimatum of a 12% increase in salary by Friday.

The offer on the table is, at 5%, less than half of what the unions are demanding. Although the wage gap between primary and secondary school teachers has been bridged, teachers’ salaries are not being raised in line with inflation, Aob official Thijs Roovers said.

The raise is needed to avoid another wage gap, this time between teachers and professions outside education, he said.

Almost 65% of primary schools outside the big cities is currently struggling to get and keep staff. In the main Dutch cities 90% are having staffing problems.

“The last thing we should do is to make teaching more financially unattractive,” Roovers said.

The unions have called on teachers to congregate in The Hague at the Hofvijver on Friday, in view of the prime minister’s office where the cabinet is meeting today.