FURTHER strike action at a west Suffolk school looks to have been averted after crunch talks got underway between staff and bosses.Teachers at King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds have suspended two further strike dates which had been pencilled in for this month after they began negotiations with the school's management team over a new pay system.
FURTHER strike action at a west Suffolk school looks to have been averted after crunch talks got underway between staff and bosses.
Teachers at King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds have suspended two further strike dates which had been pencilled in for this month after they began negotiations with the school's management team over a new pay system.
The talks follow a day-long strike in July, which saw 30 teachers out of an 80-strong staff, walk out of school amid concerns over a new pay system that threatened a small number of staff with cuts in their pay after three years.
Called teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments, the new system would mean some staff losing as much as £5,000 a year from their salaries.
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) warned further strike action was in the pipeline if a deal could not be struck between the teaching staff and the schools management team.
But teachers are now in negotiations with management and have suspended the two strike days planned for this month.
Martin Gould, Suffolk's divisional secretary of NUT, said: “There was going to be action on two dates in September but these have been suspended.
“The schools management team have been talking with teachers and we hope to arrive at a settlement which is acceptable to all those involved.
“There has been a lot of progress, which is down to the school talking to the teachers after the strike day in July - it is going very well.”
On July 11 Headteacher Geoff Barton had to tell 640 year nine and 10 students to stay at home because of the strike.
He said: “We all say the fact the strike happened is regrettable - all of us think that.
“We are all delighted that any future threatened action has now gone away enabling us to think about the future and students education.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here