Union move scuppers teacher pay deal

Friday 29 December 2017

The States Employment Board has withdrawn a pay deal agreed with one teachers' union after a different teachers' union lodged a complaint.

The National Education Union, which was formed by the merger of the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in September, has expressed their concerns on the lack of an ‘acceptable’ pay deal to the Chief Minister, as they say the States Employment Board has refused to discuss the matter with their representative.

While visiting the island last month, the National General Secretary of the union, Kevin Courtney, told Express: "We are still in negotiations about the pay rise which should have been paid in January this year. We have been offered 2% and we know that is nothing like the rate of inflation and members have had pay rises less than inflation for many years. We are seeking to get the States to increase teachers’ pay. We haven’t put a figure on it but we are saying that it needs to match inflation and do something to put back the loss of pay across recent years."

Pictured: Jersey Statistics Unit's 'Index of Average Earnings Report' in June highlighted public sector pay in real terms.

The NEU has now written to the Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, as they say the States Employment Board has refused to meet their senior officials to discuss pay.

Regional Secretary Andy Woolley said: “We appear to be in a Catch 22 situation where the SEB say we must discuss these issues with officials, but tell the officials they cannot deviate from the line set by the SEB. This means there is no possibility of negotiating, because those with the power to change their offer will not meet with us. This can only heighten frustration amongst teachers and makes the situation much more confrontational than it needs to be."

He continued: "We are now 12 months behind when we should have had a pay rise and there has also been no attempt to discuss the 2018 rise due on January 1st.

"Our reasonable request is that the employer meets us directly to discuss our concerns and to speedily conclude negotiations for 2017 and 2018 to alleviate the considerable frustration that our members face in the light of their refusal to talk to us."

The NEU believe the pay offer increase from 1% to 2% is not funded with additional money for the Education Department, therefore they must “take a clear stand on a fully funded pay rise” in order to prevent further cuts to school provisions.

But this move seems to have scuppered a pay deal agreed between the States Employment Board and another union representing teachers in Jersey.

The NASUWT has also declined the final 2% pay offer for 2017, but said they would accept it while talks continue. A deal put to the States Employment Board earlier this month.

Marina Mauger from the NASUWT told Express that the SEB agreed to this, a move she described as “unbelievable.” But she says that agreement has now collapsed as the National Education Union has gone into a dispute with the States Employment Board.

Mrs Mauger said: "We are very disappointed that we will not be receiving the 2% pay increase from January for an interim period while we continued to negotiate.

She added: “The teachers are very unhappy we won’t get anything until the dispute is resolved now.”

Express has contacted the States Employment Board for a comment and are awaiting a response.