National Education Union accepts Isle of Man teacher pay deal

The long-running dispute over teacher's pay and conditions has been ongoing since 2018

A resolution in a long running dispute over Isle of Man teachers' pay and conditions has taken a step closer after a second union narrowly agreed to accept a deal from government.

Fifty-six percent of National Education Union members voted to back the deal.

An NEU spokeswoman said the proposals were "a move in the right direction". Of the 288 people balloted, 61% took part in the online poll.

The National Association of Head Teachers accepted the deal last month.

Under the latest proposals, teachers could receive one-off payments of between £850 and £2,850, depending on their pay grade.

The Association of School and College Leaders and the National Association of Schoolmasters, Union of Women Teachers are yet to reach a decision on the latest offer.

The row started in 2018 after the School Teachers' Review Body's recommendation of an across-the-board 3.5% pay rise was not implemented in full.

The new deal would see negotiations also re-opened in any year where the average pay increase agreed for teachers in England is 0.5% below Manx inflation.

It would also see changes to teachers' appraisals, a temporary suspension of external validations, and more discussion over future education policy.