A three-day walkout by teachers in the NEU has begun. Jersey's government has written an open letter saying it would be 'irresponsible' to give in to the union's demands.

Teachers in the National Education Union are striking this week, as their long-running pay dispute remain unresolved.

The walkouts have forced most government schools to close for a fourth time this year.

Around 75% of teachers who took in a recent ballot voted to reject the SEB's most recent multi-year pay offer:

2024 = 8% consolidated (RPI at 10.1%),

2025 = a guarantee of September RPI – consolidated,

2026 = a guarantee of September RPI - consolidated,

A one-off payment of £1,000 payment – non-consolidated for 2024,

Pay offer for 2023 remains at 7.9% (RPI),

A requirement to give 14 days written notice of any action.

The NEU says the offer represents another real-terms cut in pay, and a direct attack on employment rights.

The Education Minister and the Vice-Chair of the States Employment Board have written a joint open letter addressing the disruption.

"The Government wants Jersey to be a place where children and their families can thrive and so it’s a priority to resolve the current industrial action by teaching unions that is damaging the education of our children and disrupting the home and working lives of so many Island families."

Deputy Inna Gardiner and Deputy Elaine Millar say the SEB offer is fair and reasonable, and that to give into the teachers' demands would be 'irresponsible'.

"The offer, which the Government believes was reasonable and fair, was accepted by every other group in the public service including those in the emergency services who we’ve relied on so heavily in the last year and school support staff such as teaching assistants, lunchtime supervisors and caretakers.

Despite this, the teaching unions requested a 15.4% pay rise this year and the NEU have asked for a 17.6% rise in 2024.

Everyone would like a significant pay rise, but the Government is equally certain that Islanders can see this is simply unrealistic when average earnings increased by 7.7% in the last year.

Giving in to the unions’ demands would put public finances into the red and keep them there. This would be irresponsible when we have so many calls on the public purse and a responsibility to balance the demands of teaching unions with those of the whole community."

The deputies say the government has taken 'every reasonable step' to resolve the dispute, and have called on those who reject the pay deal to accept binding arbitration.

NEU Senior regional manager Caryn Symons tells us why they will not agree to that.

"Independent arbitration removes our right to take any further action or negotiate on behalf of our members and puts it in the hands of somebody else to make that decision.

We won't give up our rights for negotiation on behalf of our members.

The current offer simply does not address the real terms pay cut and the issues being experienced in Jersey by the escalating costs of living.

Our members continue to struggle with their bills and supporting their families."

The NASUWT has suspended its industrial action while its members consider the latest offer.  The union told Channel 103 its survey would be open until 15 December, and a decision announced soon after that.