Three unions embroiled in an industrial dispute with the government want Treasury assurances over negotiations.

A joint letter, from the Association of School and College Leaders, the National Association of Head Teachers and NASUWT to education chief Professor Roland Barr has also criticised the Manx Industrial Relations Service process.

Currently, the three unions are waiting for confirmation of a date to meet with the Department of Education, Sport and Culture and MIRS.

However, the DESC, in a letter from Professor Barr, also recommended alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

The letter from the unions said they were ’concerned that the employer appears to be pre-empting the outcome of the forthcoming conciliation meeting and does not intend to enter these talks in good faith’.

And they have also criticised the MIRS process as being ’unrecognisable to any other UK jurisdiction’ and questioned why MIRS faciliated meetings for another union, the NEU, which is currently not in dispute with the DESC.

’In a further perversion of the industrial relations landscape compared to every other UK jurisdiction, on the Isle of Man, trade unions are expected to meet with DESC with the view to reaching an agreement to then have agreement taken to another body - the Treasury - for DESC to support the proposed agreement fro the Treasury to determine whether it is going to be agreed or not’, the letter added.

’The joint trade unions that are in dispute with the DESC see absolutely no purpose in attending any meeting/s with MIRS where key decision makers are not present from the government to sign off on any agreement that is reached.

’To that end we are separately writing to the Treasury Minister seeking his assurances and commitment that key decision makers will be present at any future MIRS meetings attended by the joint trade unions.’

Writing to Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan represents a possible change in approach from the unions after Chief Minister Howard Quayle had twice rejected calls to personally intervene in the dispute.

The appeals to Mr Quayle came both before and after teachers who are members of the three unions passed motions of no confidence in both Minister Graham Cregeen and the DESC.