Isle of Man teachers' pay deal: One-off payments 'do not resolve dispute'

The NASUWT's latest ballot over strike action will close in January

Lump sum payments for teachers on the Isle of Man do "nothing to resolve" the current dispute over pay and conditions, a union has said.

A pay deal has been agreed with one-off payments of between £850 and £2,850 being added to teachers' December pay.

Three unions backed the deal, but the National Association of Schoolmasters, Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) declined to accept it.

The union said it was balloting members on whether to take strike action.

The one-off payments are in recognition of the School Teachers' Review Body's 2018 recommendation of an across-the-board 3.5% pay rise, which was not implemented in full.

'Future erosion'

Under the terms of the new deal, the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) has agreed to reopen negotiations in any year where the average pay increase agreed for teachers in England is 0.5% below Manx inflation.

The NASUWT represents about 70% of teachers on the island.

Damien McNulty, of the union's national executive, dismissed the pay offer. "The 30 pieces of silver to try and buy us off doesn't touch the sides," he said.

He said teachers' take home pay was currently 30% below where it would have been had it kept pace with Manx inflation and the agreement did not "bind the employer to commit to addressing any future erosion".

The deal will also lead to an overhaul of teachers' appraisals, the suspension of external validations until September, and discussions over education policy, including issues raised in a recent independent report.

Members of the National Association of Head Teachers, the National Education Union, and the Association of School and College Leaders all accepted the deal.