Teachers are considering strike action over pay dispute

Friday 09 February 2018

Teachers could take industrial action after a 2% pay rise – which they’ve disputed – has been imposed on them by the States of Jersey.

The National Education Union, who represent teachers in Jersey, has branded the move as “disgraceful” as they’ve refused the pay award for the past 14 months and were still trying to negotiate a better deal.

Talks between the unions and the States Employment Board reached a stalemate last year, which led to the NEU approaching the Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, to resolve the issue.

But this move seemed to scupper another deal agreed between the SEB and another teaching union. Although the NASUWT had also declined the 2% pay offer for 2017, they had agreed to accept the deal for an interim period while talks on the 2017 and 2018 pay deal continued, but this was withdrawn by the SEB last December.

Teachers have now received an email from their employer this week stating that a 2% pay rise will be imposed this month, with payments backdated to January 2017, as “the States Employment Board feels there is no alternative but to bring matters to a close.”

Pictured: The States Employment Board emailed teachers this week saying that a 2% pay increase will be imposed.

This email was received ‘out of the blue’ as the NEU had requested a meeting with the employer on the 8 February as they couldn’t attend an invite by the SEB to discuss the ongoing dispute in January.

NEU South West Regional Secretary, Andy Woolley, said “Unfortunately, the politicians, who control pay, did not feel the need to engage meaningfully with their employees' representatives so rejected our offer to meet again to break the deadlock and instead emailed teachers about this imposition.

“We have attempted to negotiate with the employers of teachers for most of this period only to be frustrated by the complete refusal of decision makers to meet us and an instruction to their civil servants not to negotiate but merely to convey the employer's position. This is a disgraceful way to conduct industrial relations and shows disdain by politicians for the island’s dedicated teachers who are working hard to implement changes proposed by the Education Department for the benefit of pupils and students.”

Mr Woolley added: “In February we made an offer to settle for a three-part package; 2% for 2017 with back pay, 3.1% - matching inflation - for 2018 and backdated to the due date of January 1^st and talks to look at the shortfall caused by seven years of below inflation rises. The response was to reject this and say any pay rise for 2018 was dependent on completion of talks on workforce modernisation which other unions in different sectors have found dragged on for a long time with no satisfactory outcome.

“For an employer to refuse to pay a rise on the due date or even to negotiate about it is outrageous.”

In a statement, a States spokesman said: “We will continue to work with the unions through the established formal channels; however, the teaching unions and our colleagues were all aware that the 2017 pay award was the final offer we were able to make within the financial parameters available.

“We will continue to work with our trade unions on the 2018 pay round. We have to work towards what is affordable and what is sustainable, not just for States workers now but for those who will continue to serve our Island in the future.”

The teaching union is concerned that some of the pay deal will be funded at the expense of services to young people. They also believe the pay dispute will harm recruitment within the Education department and good teachers in Jersey may look elsewhere.

Union leaders are now discussing strike action with their members.