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WQ.213/2019
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STATES EMPLOYMENT BOARD
BY DEPUTY G.P. SOUTHERN OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 21st MAY 2019
Question
Will the Chairman update members on what progress, if any, there has been in resolving the ongoing dispute over teachers' pay and conditions; and if no agreement has been reached, what further initiatives, if any, does the Chairman propose to take?
Answer
Aspects of the 18/19 pay review remain at a very delicate stage and, in a public environment there are constraints in what can be said about our negotiating strategy in order to avoid potential prejudice to these talks. The employer has always sought to ensure confidentiality and not conduct negotiations in public.
The Employer has settled with Nurses, Manual workers, Police, Head Teachers and other groups who are related to those pay and conditions.
The Fire Service have rejected the pay offer and binding arbitration will take place under their No impairment of service agreement with the employer. Prison Officer s discussions still continue.
Discussions continue with the Civil Service unions, who remain working to rule whilst in dispute with the employer.
The current three-year pay offer for teachers is worth 8.6% in consolidated (pensionable) pay rises, plus 2.1% in one-off cash payments. In 2020, the offer is worth RPI plus 1.3% (with RPI currently expected to be 3.1%).
This means that 80.3% of teachers will earn more than £50,000 and 38.3% will earn more than £60,000 after the implementation of the offer. In addition, 59% of teachers earn at least one supplementary allowance worth between £2686 and £16,116.
Negotiators representing SEB have actively continued to meet with both the NEU, and NASUWT to find a solution to the dispute. Last week, three full days of meetings took place and further meetings will take place this week.
Some progress is being made and it is to be hoped that unions will recognise that and withdraw their industrial action whilst discussions continue.
Such an approach will be to the benefit of all concerned, teachers, children, parents and the island as a whole.
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