School closures threatened as heads vote on walk-out

School closures threatened as heads vote on walk-out

Jersey’s branch of the National Association of Head Teachers is currently balloting its members with the results due back next week. Two other teaching unions are also balloting members, which could lead to widespread closures.

The news comes as a group of health professionals say they are going to launch an appeal against the States after the decision to rescind their pay upgrades.

Sam Cooper, president of the NAHT in Jersey, warned that the Island’s school heads could be in a position to strike in January, a move which could froce several schools to close.

The ongoing dispute between the States and public-sector staff has already led to hundreds of civil servants striking in Liberation Square last Friday.

Also last week, the States debated a proposition from Deputy Geoff Southern to lift financial restrictions imposed under previously agreed spending plans, which could have allowed the States Employment Board to return to the negotiating table with increased funds for pay deals.

However, Members narrowly rejected those proposals – leading to increased disquiet in the civil service.

Mr Cooper said: ‘The strength of feeling from our indicative ballot, I’m certain, will be reflected in the formal ballot, particularly in light of recent developments around Geoff Southern’s proposition getting voted down and the support given to the civil servants’ strike last week.

‘There are 67 of us on the Island very much aligned to trying to resolve the situation. This is uncharted water for head teachers on a national scale but the NAHT voted unanimously to support members in Jersey.’

Mr Cooper said that the NAHT was working closely with the other two teaching unions – the NEU and the NASUWT – to discuss their next steps. He added that their ‘priority is always the children’ but those working in education were being left with little choice but industrial action after years of below-inflation level pay awards.

Earlier this week, the National Education Union confirmed it was balloting members with a view to starting strike action in early 2019 which could see two schools a week close for one or two days at a time.

Mr Cooper, who is head teacher at d’Auvergne School, added: ‘Whatever course of action the NEU and NASUWT decide to take the NAHT will be in support of. We can step outside of that and undertake our own industrial action, if that is what members tell us they want.

‘We could have the three unions take different courses of action.’

He said that if head and deputy head teachers opted to strike then there was likely to be a lack of safeguarding leads in schools, meaning they could not open.

‘A majority of school leaders out of school could shut the schools,’ he said. ‘Usually, the head and deputy head-teachers are the designated safeguarding leaders and they would respond in cases of child protection. If they were out, effectively it would mean there were no designated safeguarding leads in and therefore the schools would not be safe to operate.’

‘Our executive are meeting again on Friday 21 December. We intend to give the SEB the results of that ballot and we could then be ready to go in January.

‘At all costs, we want to avoid strike action if we can – it is in the power of the SEB to resolve the situation and stop the disruption.’

The results of the NAHT ballot are due to be announced on Tuesday 18 December.

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