A union chief from Kent has backed the National Union of Teachers’ vote for a one-day strike over pay cuts later this month.

NUT members are demonstrating against the Government’s proposal of a 2.4 per cent pay increase. The union argue that this is below the rate of inflation, which will amount to "real term" pay cuts.

John Walder, the Kent branch secretary of the NUT, has stressed that this is nothing new.

He says since 2005, teacher salaries have not kept with rate of inflation, which has left them more than £3,000 out of pocket, for the last three years.

Mr Walder, who supports the strike on April 24, says this trend, given the financial climate, is deemed to get worse over next three years, which will amount to further cuts.

He said: "This is serious money. Teachers are living basically on the edge of things. This is why the NUT is going on strike to make the point this Government is pushing us back to what happened to us in the 1970s."

The NUT is alternatively suggesting a fixed pay rate of 10 per cent for this year, which will cover the losses over the last three years.

Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the NUT, said: "The Government is wrong to determine a pay increase for teachers below the rate of inflation, which is presently 4.1 per cent. The teachers will receive for 2008 2.45 per cent.

"The consequences of real term pay cuts are familiar to us. They were a feature of boom and bust years before 1997."

The Government claim teachers get paid well above inflation. But Mr Walder argues ministers do not base their pay settlements to include housing and heating costs.

Mr Walder said: "Kent is a particular place where housing costs are high and there are few teachers that can afford their own homes.

"In places like Maidstone and Canterbury there are young teachers living like students sharing rent accommodation with up to four to six people in a house because they can’t afford their own homes."

He says inadequate pay rises do not help keep teachers within the profession when there are more people leaving it for better paid jobs.

"I entirely support the strike and would urge all my colleagues to go out on strike to make it clear to people the national service is in danger of running out of teachers."

For more information over teachers’ pay visit www.teachers.org.uk