Pay freeze ‘could harm teacher recruitment’ in Jersey, union warns

  • Teachers’ union in Jersey has warned about potential ‘disastrous’ effect of a pay freeze
  • NUT says that pay freeze will make it harder to attract new teachers
  • States have enforced a pay freeze for 2015 on all public sector workers
  • Should the teachers have a pay rise? Take part in our poll below

A TEACHERS’ union has warned that a pay freeze could have a ‘disastrous’ impact on recruitment and will cause a ‘massive demoralisation’ within the education sector.

The Jersey branch of the National Union for Teachers has said that the States-imposed pay freeze on public sector workers could mean that teachers currently working in Jersey might begin to look for work elsewhere, while the schools might struggle to bring new teachers to the Island.

Last week, the States Employment Board announced that public sector pay would be frozen, with the exception of that of nurses and midwives, who will receive a 0.4 per cent pay increase.

The move came just days after ministers revealed that £60 million would have to be found in staff savings to help plug a predicted financial shortfall of £125 million by 2019.

Robert Ward, NUT Jersey president, has said that the pay freeze will demoralise teachers and said that the Island will suffer as a result.

Teachers marched in Jersey in 2010 to protest about teachers' pay

He said: ‘That the States Employment Board see a public sector pay cut as a sensible solution to the deficit they have created is unacceptable, especially as we are exclusively being made to shoulder the burden of the mismanagement of public funds. The much-needed investment in Jersey’s education system cannot be offset with a real-term pay cut for its teachers. This follows years of real-term pay cuts that have eroded the living standards of our members and of all public service workers.

‘To be told that our commitment to renewal and modernisation is being rewarded with a cut in our standard of living is likely to lead to massive demoralisation in the education service.’

He added that the union was concerned about proposed cuts to services, which Mr Ward said would be ‘disastrous’ to service provision and future public sector recruitment.

Mr Ward said: ‘It will be the Jersey public who ultimately pay the price.’

The NUT Jersey has previously threatened strike action in 2010 following a dispute over pay and conditions, including a public sector pay freeze in 2009.

Andy Wooley, regional secretary for the NUT, said: ‘We have shown before that teachers will not stand for such actions by their employer when this sort of threat was made in 2010.

‘I’m really surprised that Jersey politicians feel that there can be any benefit to the education service or other public services to be gained from penalising their workforce.

‘If they want a good public education service they need to pay for it and stop their attacks on public sector workers.’

The national Union of Teachers (NUT) Jersey branch has warned that the announcement that the State’s Employment Board (SEB) intends to impose a Pay Freeze on all states workers will have a seriously detrimental effect on teacher recruitment and retention and, as a result our young people’s education.

That the SEB see a public sector pay cut as a sensible solution to the deficit they have created is unacceptable especially as we are exclusively being made to shoulder the burden of the mismanagement of public funds.

The much needed investment in Jersey’s education system cannot be offset with a real term pay cut for its Teachers. This follows years of real term pay cuts that have eroded the living standards of our members and of all public service workers.

Recently we have reached agreement with the Department and the panel Director to work co-operatively on developing a World class education system for Jersey. To be told that despite our commitment to renewal and modernisation is being rewarded with a cut in our standard of living is likely to lead to massive demoralisation in the education service.

We share the concern about proposed cuts to services, which would be disastrous to service provision and future public sector recruitment, and would of course mean that it will be the Jersey public who ultimately pay the price.

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