A teaching union has written to the Isle of Man Government over plans to ballot its members for strike action later this month.
The Isle of Man Government received the letter from the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) on Friday.
In their letter, the Union suggests it will ballot 478 members from 21 July, regarding strike action and action short of strike, due to a dispute over pay, pensions and workload.
The Union said it will ballot members, who work in schools and University College Isle of Man about discontinuous strike action during August 2020 to February 2021 and continuous action short of strike (work to rule) within the same dates.
The dispute has been ongoing for 18 months and negotiations ended on 17 March with the latest pay offer being rejected by all four teacher unions. Further meetings were paused during the state of emergency on the Island due to the global pandemic.
Dr Alex Allinson MHK, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, said:
‘I am disappointed that NASUWT have decided to propose strike action. I would again like to thank all our teachers and school staff for their ingenuity and flexibility over the last three months and the amazing effort they have put into reopening our schools for all pupils.
‘Re-starting talks had already been discussed with the Manx Industrial Relations Service and I hope better communication and dialogue can help find a fair settlement for our teachers and lecturers who provide such an excellent education for our children and young people’.
The annual pay awards for teachers is published in the UK School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) and has been applied on the Isle of Man each year since 1992. It means teachers on the Island are paid the same as those working in England and Wales and in 2019/20 received a 2.75% increase.
