Isle of Man teachers vote to strike in row over pay

NASUWT members rejected a 2% pay offer from the government last month

A group of teachers on the Isle of Man has voted to support taking strike action in a row over pay.

The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) ballot gained 84% support for a walk out.

General secretary Patrick Roach said a 2% pay offer by the government had "ignited deep anger across the teaching profession".

The government said the pay talks remained ongoing.

About 650 of the teachers were asked whether they supported industrial action after the proposed pay rise was rejected by members in an earlier ballot on the offer itself.

Two-thirds of those eligible responded to the latest ballot, with 94% supporting action short of strike over pay, workloads and working conditions.

'Kick in the stomach'

The offer by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC), which would be backdated to cover the 2021-2022 financial year, followed a pay freeze for teachers in England.

While pay increases for teachers on the island are linked to those given in England, the DESC previously agreed to reopen negotiations in any year where the average pay increase agreed was 0.5% below Manx inflation.

Mr Roach said the union's members were "unequivocal and united in their demand for a better deal for teachers".

He said the "substantially below-inflation" offer had been a "kick in the stomach" to those who had seen the value of their pay fall by almost 30% compared to inflation over the past decade.

"Today's vote must be a wake-up call to the government which has failed to deliver the fair pay and working conditions that teachers need and deserve," he added.

NASUWT is one of four unions representing teaching staff on the island.

The National Association of Head Teachers has also rejected the pay offer.