Teachers settle dispute

Teachers have called off any industrial action following talks between representatives of the States Employment Board and unions. Details of the negotiations are still to be finalised but teachers have agreed to settle for changes to their conditions of service in lieu of a pay rise for 2009.
Among the changes on offer is a guarantee of 10% non-contact time for planning, preparation and assessment from January 2011 and the removal of the requirement to supervise pupils at lunchtime from January 2012.
The deal is conditional on teachers accepting the current 2 year pay offer of 2% from January 2010 and a further 2% for 2011; and on their co-operation with an independent review of terms and conditions of service, to begin later this year.
The Chief Minister, Senator Terry Le Sueur said “I am pleased we have managed to avoid industrial action, which would be detrimental to students’ learning and disruptive for parents. I hope we can now move forward with an independent review of the terms and conditions of service for teachers.”
The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, Deputy James Reed, said “I am really pleased that this dispute has now been resolved. The last thing anyone wants to see is our children’s education being disrupted, even for a day.”
Headteachers and deputy headteachers, who are in a separate pay group and not part of the dispute with teachers, have already indicated their willingness to accept the pay freeze for 2009 and the subsequent 2% offer for 2010 and 2011.

So from 2012 the states will have to employ additional staff to supervise lunch times.So there goes the promise to cap staff levels?