Headteachers suspend strike to ballot pay offer

Wednesday 18 October 2023

Headteachers have suspended their strike today and NAHT union members are set to be balloted on a new pay offer from Government.

In a meeting last night, the backdated consolidated 7.9% pay offer was put to National Association of Headteachers union members in detail.

An online ballot will now be held in which NAHT members will decide whether to accept or reject the offer. It will run for six days up to and including Monday 23 October.

The new offer from the States Employment Board (SEB) includes backdating the previous 7.9% pay offer to 1 January, and the department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES) giving school leaders an additional Education Reform Allowance worth approximately 2.5%.

Carl Howarth, President of the NAHT said yesterday that the "most significant change" was the "recognition from the SEB about the time commitment, demands and change in the role of school leaders over recent years – and the need for our significant input into the Education Reform Programme".

"We are pleased to have secured a commitment from the SEB to address these legacy issues within the next 12 months," he added.

Pictured: Carl Howarth, President of the NAHT, said that the "most significant change" in the new offer was the recognition about increased demands in the role of school leaders over recent years.

The new offer stipulates that school leaders will receive a further one-off allowance for next year if joint work between NAHT and the Government to address changes to school leaders’ roles over the years and the impact of the Education Reform Programme has not been completed by 30 October 2024.

The offer also pledges to explore the possibility of a healthcare plan for school leaders, along with commitments to review terms and conditions and to explore other benefits.

Rob Kelsall, NAHT’s assistant general secretary, said: “The last thing dedicated educational professionals want to do is go on strike, but prior to this new offer there had been no tangible improvements to the previous deal.

“The stark reality is that the pay of school leaders on the island has fallen by more than 11% in real terms since 2012, while at the same time workload has increased, especially on the back of the pandemic.

“It is now for members to determine whether this offer is a sufficient first step in beginning to reverse these pay cuts and make school leadership in Jersey a more attractive proposition amid a growing recruitment and retention crisis in the education profession.”

Pictured: Although NAHT members have suspended their strike today, many schools remain closed as NEU members continue to strike.

The NAHT's decision to ballot members means the strike planned today has been suspended, but many schools remain closed as NEU (National Education Union) members continue to strike.

The third education union, NASUWT, is not striking but is continuing 'work-to-rule' industrial action, which means action short of strike action. This includes not covering classes for absent colleagues or striking members, attending less meeting hours and scaling back workloads.

The Government's list of school openings and closures for the strike dates can be found online.

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