Teachers threaten strike over ‘culture of fear’ at Les Beaucamps High School
John Fernandez
Former Reporter, ITV Channel
Members of the NASUWT at Les Beaucamps School have threatened to strike next Tuesday (11th July) and Thursday (13th July).
It’s over what they call ‘poor management practices’ at the school and a ‘culture of fear’ which they say has left staff ‘fearing for their jobs’.
National Negotiating Official Wayne Bates said: 'The threat of industrial action was a last resort for members.'
The NASUWT say there is no will from the Education Committee to get around the table to resolve the dispute they have with the senior management at the school.
The NASUWT described their main grievances for ITV News:
Excessive observations of teachers
Overuse of disciplinary procedures on staff
Staff feeling generally undervalued
A 'culture of fear' surrounding staff losing their jobs
The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture say they are "disappointed that the NASUWT has decided to propose this course of action at this time."
Education staff say they have been in talks with union officials about the specific details of the dispute for some time.
The States of Guernsey has referred the matter to the Industrial Disputes Officer and so "significant efforts are being made to resolve this without recourse to industrial action".
The Committee does not wish to comment on the specific details of the dispute so that negotiations with union officials may continue over the coming days.