TORY ministers have been forced to agree to “intensive talks” on plummeting take-home teacher pay and crippling workloads following the latest round of strikes, education unions announced today.

The discussions, which are set to continue over the weekend, will be met with a “period of calm for two weeks” with no further strike dates announced, both sides said in a joint statement.

It follows the breakthrough in the NHS dispute on Thursday, with leaders of nurses, ambulance crews and other health workers in England agreeing to suspend further walkouts while ballots are held on a new wage offer.

But, in a sign that the biggest wave of industrial action to sweep Britain since the 1980s is far from over, the announcements coincided with confirmation of an imminent five-week strike by Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members at the Passport Office over pay, pensions, jobs and conditions.

The National Education Union (NEU), whose members downed tools at thousands of schools on Wednesday and Thursday after 2022-23’s below-inflation 5 per cent pay proposal, said it had, alongside NASUWT, NAHT and ASCL, agreed to “intensive talks” with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan.

The joint statement said: “In order for talks on pay, conditions and workload reduction to begin and, we hope, reach a successful conclusion, the NEU has confirmed it will create a period of calm for two weeks when no further strike dates will be announced.”

Walkouts in both Wales and Scotland have also been postponed in recent weeks following improved salary offers from devolved Labour and SNP ministers respectively.

An end to the NHS dispute in England may also be close, after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Unison and GMB suspended further walkouts and urged members to accept the latest government proposal of a one-off payment for 2022-23 and 5 per cent for next year.

Unite said that it could not recommend Thursday’s real-terms pay cut to members, but it would put the offer to a vote.

The settlement would not apply to junior doctors, who today demanded a meeting with Health Secretary Steve Barclay following an unprecedented three-day walkout earlier this week.

Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the British Medical Association’s junior doctors committee, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Our position has been that we are open to talk in good faith, meaningfully, at any time.

“We were ready to talk months ago — it is disappointing it has taken Steve Barclay so long to get to the negotiating table.”

The ex-Brexit secretary repeatedly claimed that there was no new cash available to reopen talks on this financial year’s wage offer before suddenly finding some this week.

In Wales, Unite and GMB called off a planned ambulance strike earlier in March after progress in talks with Cardiff, while walkouts have so far been avoided in Scotland, where nurses have been offered 6.5 per cent plus a one-off payment for 2023-24.

PCS warned of potential delays in holidaymakers getting hold of essential travel documents in the run-up to summer, after announcing a massive strike of its members at passport offices across Britain.

Those working in Durham, Glasgow,  Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport will walk out from April 3 to May 5, while those in Belfast will strike from April 7 to May 5.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This escalation has come about because, in sharp contrast with other parts of the public sector, ministers have failed to hold any meaningful talks with us, despite six months of sustained action.”

Downing Street’s failure to improve on its massively below-inflation 2 per cent salary deal for the sector, even though 40,000 civil servants are using foodbanks, is a “national scandal,” he said.