Strike ballot for Isle of Man teachers as union rejects 2% pay offer

The NASUWT will give its 650 members until 4 April to vote on possible strike action

About 650 Isle of Man teachers are being balloted on whether to take strike action in a dispute over pay.

The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) said a 2% rise proposed by the government was "unacceptable".

General Secretary Patrick Roach has called for a "serious offer" to be made to counter the "erosion of salaries".

A spokesman for the Department Of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) said the move was disappointing.

The ballot by the NASUWT, which is one of four teaching unions on the island, follows the rejection of the proposed pay rise by the National Association of Head Teachers last month.

'Salary erosion'

The DESC's offer, backdated to cover the 2021-2022 financial year, is akin to the "same pay freeze imposed on teachers in England", a spokesman for the NASUWT said.

The union's members have been given until 4 April to indicate if they support strike action or action short of strike over pay, workloads and working conditions.

It comes after 63% of the 416 teachers who responded to a NASUWT survey said the offer was not enough, with more than 40% replying they were "angry" about the proposal.

Dr Roach said Manx teachers' pay had fallen "by almost 30% in real terms since 2010", a position that he said was worsening daily due to "the rising cost of living".

"This offer does not come close to addressing the current rate of inflation or tackling the year-on-year real terms erosion of teachers' salaries," he added.

In a statement, the DESC said it "maintains an open door policy" for all teaching unions, but would not comment further on the ballot until the outcome is know next month.