Teaching union votes to accept "final" pay offer

Tuesday 11 June 2019

Members of the National Education Union have voted in favour of accepting the government's "final" pay offer to teachers, marking the beginning of the end of the bitter months-long dispute.

NEU's membership agreed the new deal during a meeting at the Freedom Church last night.

The terms of the "final" offer by the States Employment Board - the panel responsible for setting public sector workers' pay - represents a consolidated increase worth 9.4%, plus 2.1% of non-consolidated cash payments over three years, based on an assumed RPI of 3.1%.

The deal is as follows:

• 2018 – 2% consolidated increase plus 1.1% non-consolidated cash payment
• 2019 – 2% consolidated increase plus 1.0% non-consolidated cash payment
• 2020 – RPI + 1.3% consolidated increase, plus an additional 0.8% funded through reforms and sustainable efficiencies.

It comes following eight days of strike action by NEU members throughout May, and a large-scale rally by other teaching union NASUWT, whose members took action short of striking by refusing to cover lessons.

#neujerseyaction
NEU members vote to accept pay deal and bring and end to action pic.twitter.com/7IUHClRMxo

— JerseyNEU (@JerseyNEU) June 10, 2019

NEU's Regional Secretary Ian Stevenson described last night's decisive vote as a "win for a fair pay rise for NEU members", who he described as having been "resolute and determined throughout this dispute."

He continued: "The NEU now looks forward to a 'resetting' of the relationship between the SEB and teachers.

"Our hope is for a more positive relationship in future, one where we can now quickly rebuild trust and confidence and, work together in the interests of education in Jersey."

NASUWT officials are yet to speak out on the new offer.

Pictured top: NEU members cast their votes on the new deal. (NEU)