NASUWT rejects final pay offer

A union representing teachers on Island has rejected the government's second and final pay offer. 

The NASUWT said:

"With CPI inflation at 9.0% (IOM April figure) the headline 3.6% pay rise represents a real terms pay cut of at least 5.4% for the majority of our members. This represents the largest single annual real terms cut since 2010. When the proposed pay award is added to the current pay points a significant  number of teachers move into a high pension contribution band which in affect reduces the offer by at least 1%.

The variable percentage pay increase which sees those on the lower pay grades receiving the most is extremely divisive given that those on the upper pay range have been those worst affected by the erosion of their pay over the past 12 years

There is no acknowledgment in the offer on how to deal with the historic erosion over the past 12 years that the NASUWT have identified and evidenced as being 30%. We assert again that a multi year pay award must be put in place to restore teachers’ pay to 2010 levels.

The IOM continues to link teachers’ pay to the outcome of what happens annually in England in relation to teachers pay awards. This is what has led to such a huge erosion in real terms pay over the past 12 years in comparison to other Islands such as Jersey and Guernsey where they don’t have this link to English teacher pay awards and the erosion is no great than 10% over the same time period.

The NASUWT want to see IOM specific pay bargain arrangements introduced and an end to linking pay with England."