New pay deal for teachers and police revealed

Wednesday 27 February 2019

Teachers who were this week poised to strike over stagnating wages amid rises in the cost of living and increasing workloads – and Police officers – have been offered a new, three-year pay deal.

Government officials have not revised their previous pay offer for 2018 and 2019, but have now bolted on an above-inflation wage pledge for 2020.

Discussions over pay with head teachers, prison officers and civil servants remain ongoing.

The ‘new’ offer would see teachers and Police receive a rise equivalent to the inflation (RPI) rate plus 1.3% on 1 January next year.

Pictured: Teachers had been ready to strike on Tuesday.

It is particularly hoped that the revised deal will placate teaching staff, who were yesterday primed to strike but called off action when the promise of a fresh offer was made by the States Employment Board (SEB) at the eleventh hour. 

The Board had previously protested that “there is no more money” given a forecast £30million to £40million black hole in government finances. 

If accepted, the new deal will allow them nearly one year to find the money and plan for the rise within the next medium-term spending plan.

In full, the offer is:

• For 2018: 2.0% consolidated increase wef 1/1/18; plus 1.1% unconsolidated wef 1/1/18 (already imposed);
• For 2019: 2.0% consolidated increase wef 1/1/19; plus 1.0% unconsolidated wef 1/1/19 (already imposed);  
• For 2020: a rise equivalent to the September 2019 RPI (all items index) plus 1.3%, consolidated, and paid with effect from 1/1/20.  There are no minimum or maximum caps attached to this offer.

Major teaching union NASUWT described a difficult negotiation process leading to this moment, telling members: “The SEB remained adamant, despite our representations, that there was no money available this year to consolidate the imposed 2019 award.”

Pictured: The pay deal has also been made to Police.

They added that the improvements secured – in particular the removal of a cap on RPI should inflation rise unexpectedly – were “important” and noted that the updated offer “would break the cycle of below-inflation pay awards to which teachers have been subjected."

However, NASUWT officials added that strike action was still very much on the table. 

“The NASUWT has not given formal agreement to this offer and has made it absolutely clear to the SEB that action has only been suspended and the ballot remains live. However, as the offer represents an improvement on the original position of the SEB, the NASUWT believes that it should be put to members for feedback before any further steps are taken.” 

They are now asking for members’ views via email by 8 March, while the National Education Union has put together a survey.

As promised an email has just been sent to your provided contact details with all the information about the offer. If you do not receive this please let us know.

— JerseyNEU (@JerseyNEU) February 26, 2019

The NEU similarly declined to endorse the offer or urge members not to accept it.

“As a democratic union, we have agreed to put this offer to members in a survey without any recommendation for or against. The survey will be sent out by email in the near future and we are asking members to reply speedily so we can inform the States of their response,” Regional Secretary Andy Woolley explained. 

The States of Jersey Police Association, meanwhile, have given their support to the deal. 

Describing negotiations as “prolonged and productive” SOJP Association President James Le Cornu commented: "We have subsequently recommended this offer to our members as one which, under the current economic climate, we deem both fair and reasonable. We wish to thank the States Employment Board for their renewed efforts for building bridges and openly engaging with us in this two way process.”

Pictured: The Chief Minister said that the new offer showed that the government had listened to unions' concerns.

Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondré, who chairs SEB, said that the new offers demonstrate “that the government genuinely values our employees, and that we have listened to their concerns."

He continued: “We wish to ameliorate the impacts of pay constraint and the rising cost of living in recent years.

“The pay increases proposed are significant and compare well with similar roles in the private sector or in the UK public sector. 

“I hope that employees will accept these offers, so that we can resolve the current pay disputes and work constructively together to address the remaining anomalies in terms and conditions through the pay and reward review.”