Union: Teachers deserve above-inflation pay rise

In its latest pay claim submission to the Policy & Resources Committee, the NASUWT said teachers, lecturers and other education staff had been on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic, but had faced real-terms pay cuts of nearly 10% since 2007, while facing high living costs.

It also accused P&R of imposing the 2019, 2020 and 2021 pay awards and changing the pay negotiations framework – namely changing the pay uplift date – without any consultation or negotiation.

Negotiations with the States over the latest pay claim were due to begin shortly, said the union.

‘This behaviour by the employer is unacceptable and goes against both the content and the spirit of the constitution of the Negotiating Committee for Teachers and Lecturers in Guernsey and Teachers and Lecturers Joint Council,’ said the NASUWT in the pay claim submission.

‘Failure to engage over such fundamental matters leads to mistrust which damages Guernsey’s reputation as an employer.

'It has now been almost four years since the last meaningful negotiations over pay.’

The union said that negotiations should have taken place over the changes.

‘It is simply unacceptable to make decisions of this magnitude without any attempt at negotiation and will come as a complete kick in the teeth to Guernsey’s teachers, lecturers and school leaders who have worked and continue to work tirelessly throughout the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.’

It was ‘nothing short of disgraceful’ that teachers, lecturers and school leaders who had gone above and beyond since the start of the pandemic to be rewarded not only with a real-terms pay cut, but also a lower award than virtually all other pay groups, it added.

‘These impositions, pay cuts and refusal to negotiate over key provisions puts the profession in a very serious position which has the clear potential to result in industrial unrest at a critical time in the transformation process,’ said the NASUWT.

‘There is overwhelming evidence that teachers, lecturers and school leaders require a significant, above-inflation pay increase in the 2021 pay award.’

A P&R spokesman confirmed that the committee was aware of the issues being raised by the union.

‘The committee intends to discuss these further with the union as we enter negotiations,' he said.

n A WORK-related stress, anxiety and depression epidemic could hit school staff, according to the NASUWT union.

It said that the current Covid situation in schools was challenging, with high staff absences due to illness leading to ‘excessive’ cover and increased workloads.

‘We believe Covid has revealed the lack of resilience in the schools system in Guernsey, and the demands on staff are such that there is a real danger that the viral pandemic will lead to a work-related stress anxiety and depression epidemic,’ said a union spokeswoman.