Teaching union vote backs escalated industrial action

Members of the largest union on the island aren't covering break times

A teaching union on the Isle of Man has voted to continue escalated industrial action in an ongoing row over pay and conditions.

In a fresh ballot, 92% of National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) members backed the current action short-of-strike.

In the re-ballot, 82% of members also supported moving on to strike action.

Currently members are refusing to cover breaks and absences, leading to some children having to learn from home.

NASUWT members have been taking industrial action since late April, withdrawing from meetings and not providing cover for absent colleagues.

Pay offer

A recent pay deal, which saw all teachers receive an uplift of between 2% and 7.6% backdated to 1 September 2021, was implemented despite opposition from the union.

The union's general secretary Patrick Roach said the responsibility for disruption in schools "rests with the Department of Education Sport and Culture".

The department was "mistaken if they think teachers are prepared to accept a substantially below-inflation pay offer", he added.

A further pay increase has been recommended by the Independent School Teachers Review Body in the UK that could see wages go up by between 5% and 8.9%

Education minister Julie Edge has renewed calls for teachers to de-escalate action and cover morning breaks, which would mean more pupils could learn in the classroom rather than remotely.

She said: "This is impacting students. We need our children back in the classroom."

However, Dr Roach said, "unless significant progress is forthcoming", there was a "real risk" of a walk-out by teachers in future.

The education department and the NASUWT are due to meet to continue negotiations next week.