THE NASUWT has accepted a backdated pay award of 7.9% from the government.
The teaching union said it had received a commitment from the government to enter into negotiations on a multi-year pay deal from 2024.
NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach however said they would still be ‘working to rule’ by refusing to carry out additional duties until there was ‘measurable downward pressure on the workload pressures being faced by the profession’.
The union had until now joined the National Education Union (NEU) in rejecting the government’s 7.9% pay offer – calling for a 15.4% rise to address what they say has been a real-terms cut in pay during the last 15 years.
The NEU held a one-day strike on 5 July and staged a protest in the Royal Square to coincide with that week’s States sitting.
Earlier this week, NASUWT wrote to its members to confirm three further days of strikes which would have closed schools across the Island. However, these were suspended after the union received what it described as a ‘positive’ email from the States Employment Board on Thursday ahead of an agreement being reached the following day.
Dr Roach said the backdated pay award of 7.9% – which is in line with what other pay groups have received – would go ‘some way towards addressing the impact of the cost of living crisis and real-terms cuts that teachers have been subjected to’.
He added: ‘NASUWT members have shown their resolve and determination to get a better deal for teachers.
‘We look forward to working with the States Employment Board to secure firm commitments on workload. In the meantime, our members will continue with a programme of action short of strike action in the autumn until we see measurable downward pressure on the workload pressures being faced by the profession.’
