INDUSTRIAL action by teachers – including the possibility of strikes – could affect the forthcoming summer term, after the government’s latest pay offer was rejected.
Both main teaching unions, the NEU and the NASUWT, met members of the States Employment Board last week, but this failed to lead to improvements in a final offer received on Monday.
The government was not prepared to increase its pay offer of 7.9%, a figure accepted by some government employees earlier this year but dubbed unacceptable by both teaching and nursing unions.
Adrian Moss, joint district and branch secretary for the NEU, said: ‘We are open to further genuine negotiations on the headline figure, however we have little choice but to start balloting our members for industrial action.’
Marina Mauger of the NASUWT said her union would also be balloting members after Easter.
She said: ‘I am very, very frustrated with the SEB – we had a meeting and I thought they had listened with some sympathy, but clearly not, and I think their attitude is very short-sighted.’
It is not yet clear whether union members would vote to go on strike, as in 2019, or resolve to take other action – which could include ceasing to supervise lunchtime activities or extra-curricular sessions scheduled before and after the school day.
