A teaching union whose members are on a work to rule in a dispute over pay insists its action is ’pupil-friendly’.

Meanwhile, a second union has warned it will ballot for industrial action up to and including a strike, unless it gets a court of inquiry into the teachers’ pay award.

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The National Association of Head Teachers has written to parents of pupils at island schools affected by its industrial action which began last week. It insists the action is a ’last resort’ but the union felt it had ’no option’.

The NAHT has a headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher or teacher members in each of the island’s primary schools and one of the five state secondary schools.

Last month, 95% of the union members indicated they were prepared to take industrial action short of strike - and some 85% said they were prepared to strike.

Industrial action being taken includes non-attendance at senior leaders’ meetings and non-engagement with the appraisal policy for all staff.

There will be no engagement with the school self review and evaluation process other than that required by the provisions of section 51 of the Education Act 2001.

And the union says school leaders will refuse to implement or comply with the parent pay policy and surveys, sign off pay control listings or engage with department-directed in-service training days.

In the letter to parents, Max Kelly (pictured right), president of NAHT’s Isle of Man branch says the union is committed to ensuring the situation is resolved quickly.

He says: ’School leaders on the Isle of Man have never in our history contemplated industrial action on pay and we are reluctant to do so.

’Our priorities are the children and young people within our care.

’Taking action of any kind, including industrial action, is always the last resort and we have worked very hard to negotiate a settlement in this dispute with the Department of Education, Sport and Culture.

’However, DESC has failed to recognise the legitimate concerns of school leaders and we feel that we have no option but to consider this next step.

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’The action is intended to be "pupil-friendly" as we do not want it to impact directly within the classroom or on pupil learning.’

The NAHT apologised for the inconvenience its action could cause. Salaries, it claimed, have fallen by more than 20% since 2011 and this was having a ’damaging impact on the morale, recruitment and retention of hardworking and dedicated school staff’.

In a separate move, the NASUWT has written to the DESC warning it will consider balloting its members for industrial action unless its request for a court of inquiry over teachers’ pay award is ’actioned without further delay’. The NASUWT declared a formal dispute with DESC over the pay award six months ago.

It said the DESC agreed in April to invoke a court of inquiry to attempt to settle the dispute.

Ms Chris Keates, NASUWT acting general secretary, said: ’Contrary to statements made by the DESC, the focus of the NASUWT’s dispute is not over the interpretation of its pay policy.

’The union is in dispute over the recent pay awards which have continued the significant erosion of teachers’ pay which has declined by over one-third, in real terms, since 2010.

’The NASUWT has been ready to engage in the court of inquiry process since April and the continuing delays are unacceptable.

’Unless there is immediate progress, the NASUWT’s national action committee will have no option but to consider a formal ballot of members for industrial action, up to and including strike action.’

She said the NASUWT found it ’totally unacceptable’ that the DESC has threatened to withhold pay progression to primary teachers because headteachers are taking industrial action.

’Any attempt to prevent our members’ pay progression will be robustly opposed by the union and would result in yet another dispute lodged against the department,’ she said.

The DESC said it has invited the NAHT to take the dispute to binding arbitration.

It points out teachers’ pay here is in line with the UK. The Secretary of State chose not to wholly follow the recommendation of the pay review body. This meant school heads only got a 1% increase, rather than the full 3.5% awarded to other teachers.