Teachers' savings share could equal just £37 more a month

Tuesday 04 June 2019

Details of the latest Government pay offer suggest proposals to "share" Education department savings could amount to around an extra £37 per month for each teacher.

In a bid to end the long-running teachers' pay dispute, the States Employment Board (SEB) has made a revised offer which promises above-inflation rises for 2020, but makes no amendments to the 2018 and 2019 offers which have already been implemented. But the latest offer wasn't well received at a teachers' meeting last night, with attendees indicating that it wasn't acceptable, and further strikes were now in the offing. Talks continue with the SEB this week.

The new teacher pay proposals stand by the Board’s already implemented offer of a 2% consolidated (pensionable) increase to salaries and a one-off payment of 1.1% in 2018; and 2% consolidated and 1% unconsolidated in 2019.

The Board is also offering “a guaranteed consolidated increase to salaries” which is 1.3% higher than RPI (inflation) in 2020. RPI is currently forecast to be 3.1% in 2020, so the increase – payable from 1 January of that year – would be 4.4% although this is subject to change based on the actual inflation rate next year.

Pictured: The new offer has been made to Jersey teachers by the States Employment Board promising above-inflation rises for 2020.

But as with the latest offer to civil servants, the SEB has also proposed that teachers should be entitled to what it calls a ‘gain-share’ agreement in 2020, promising teachers a 50% cut of savings that their union officials must help identify. 

The arrangement involves a joint union and government “working group” finding further savings which can be made across the Education department and, if these efficiencies are signed off by the Board, teachers will get half of the money back as consolidated increases to their salaries. 

Pictured: The unions will consider the pay offer before further talks take place later this week.

“It is anticipated that this review will produce efficiencies worth not less than 1.6% of the teaching pay bill, enabling teachers’ salaries to be increased by a further 0.8%, if these efficiencies are achieved. However, there is no limit in relation to gains available to teachers through this ‘gain-share’ arrangement.

Express understands that the annual teacher pay bill (not including Head Teachers or Teaching Assistants) is £41.4million, meaning that 1.6% of this figure would represent £662,400 and, the amount taken home by teachers – if these minimum savings are achieved – would be £331,200. 

During this week’s States sitting, the Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondré said that there are around 750 teachers working in Jersey. 

This means that, under this proposed ‘gain-share’ arrangement, the teaching workforce would be entitled to approximately an extra £442 per teacher per year, or £37 more a month - if only the minimum level of savings was achieved, and it was equally allocated to all teachers.

Speaking following last night's meeting, Ian Stevenson Regional Secretary of the National Education Union said that the 'gain-share' idea had been very badly received at the teachers' meeting, as the SEB were not able to outline where any savings might be found:

" (It)...essentially requires  members to trust the SEB that at some point, in the future, if savings are realised, they will get the pay award.

"You know it was the case that when I mentioned the SEB and trust in the same sentence the room did just erupt in spontaneous laughter because everybody in that room realised the ridiculousness of that offer."

In his statement about the pay dispute which was read to States Members, the Chief Minister – who is also the Chairman of the SEB – commented: “I consider that the offer we have made achieves the aim of a balanced agreement with the unions, meets our financial responsibilities to taxpayers, and provides an appropriate level of reward for our employees. It balances the desires of our employees with the realities of the impacts of increased expenditure upon islanders or upon the provision of improved services.”

Pictured: The Chief Minister made a statement about the new offer in the States Assembly today.

The Chief Minister then had to defend the premise of this ‘gain-share’ arrangement against a grilling from his fellow politicians who voted under a Standing Order to double the amount of time they could question the Board Chairman during the sitting.

Deputy Rob Ward – a former Science teacher – dubbed the proposals as showing “a total lack of understanding for the entire profession.”

Deputy Jess Perchard who was an English teacher before she stood for election also challenged the Chief Minister’s characterisation of Jersey teachers as being “well-paid” by raising the fact that, on average, teachers carry out 42 hours a week of unpaid work.

They also confirmed that the ‘gain-share’ arrangement was proposed during pay talks by the employer, not the union. 

This comes after teaching unions wrote to their members accusing the SEB of backtracking from previous agreements and attempting to “dictate” the terms of a fresh pay award to teachers in moves that have placed negotiations “in serious jeopardy”.