With a number of bank holidays also falling within the month, families could face increased childcare bills or interruptions to their working lives. Teachers have, however, guaranteed that their industrial action will not disrupt pupils preparing to take their GCSEs and A-levels.
The Jersey Chamber of Commerce have called on the government and unions to resolve their ongoing pay dispute urgently, pressing them to consider the States pledge of ‘putting children first’.
On Tuesday evening it was announced that the National Education Union had called eight days of strike action in May in response to its members’ pay offer for 2018 to 2020.
The union said the decision had been reached because the offer ‘was, in real terms, a pay cut of 3.5%’ over the three years.
Chamber president Eliot Lincoln said that working parents and businesses would be heavily impacted by NEU’s decision.
‘It is working families who are being most affected, and the cost to those families and to businesses affected by the disruption is substantial,’ he said
‘Chamber is calling on both sides to look at the consequences for those families and businesses carrying the cost of this action and find a solution.
‘At this important time of exams for many pupils and in an era of the priority of “putting children first”, this is most untimely by both sides of the table.’
Mr Lincoln added that the States should consider supporting working families who could struggle to pay for childcare, if the strikes go ahead.
‘There may be parents that simply do not have the available holiday to manage this time off and this may well impinge on valuable family holiday time off ahead,’ said Mr Lincoln.
‘If the government is unwilling to make this a priority to resolve, perhaps our government should consider supporting local working families by putting on free childcare facilities for the days that teachers are striking.
‘Without meaningful signs of this dispute coming to an end, consideration must be taken on the effects to children, working parents and the productivity losses to business.’
Meanwhile, the SEB criticised the NEU for not giving any notice of the strikes and for disrupting schools shortly before the summer exams were due to be held.
‘The SEB is disappointed to learn of NEU’s intended strike action through the media. No formal notice of intended action, as required under legislation, has so far been received,’ a spokesman said.
‘If reports are accurate, then it is extremely disappointing and, doubtless, of real concern to parents and young people, that NEU are proposing to disrupt schools at this key point in the academic year.
‘The SEB has gone to great lengths to seek a settlement with teachers. The offer amounts to 8.6% consolidated increases over the three years from 2018 to 2020, plus 2.1% in one-off cash, and it includes a 1.3% above inflation rise for 2020.
‘The board urges the NEU to reconsider their decision.’
A number of Islanders have voiced their concerns about the strike on social media but seemed largely supportive of teachers receiving better pay.
Representatives of JCSA Prospect and Unite were still locked in negotiations with the SEB concerning their pay dispute. Terry Renouf, president of JCSA Prospect, said that the SEB has not ‘moved’ its position during the talks.
The response of parents on social media yesterday
Samantha: ‘This is crazy if it goes ahead – this is Children’s Education,’
Annie: ‘As annoying as this will be for a lot of parents, we can’t really blame them for striking.’
Julie: ‘All the money wasted yet not enough to give teachers a pay rise. People who doubt what teachers do need to shadow one for a day.’
