Members of school leaders’ union the NAHT will resume their industrial action next week.

The NAHT has served notice on the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) that it will begin action short of a strike from midnight on Monday (September 7).

It’s the latest move in a long-running dispute over teachers’ pay and conditions.

Industrial action was put on hold when the Covid-19 pandemic struck back in March.

It remained paused following the full re-opening of schools while talks between DESC and the trade unions took place last month.

Those talks, held under the auspices of the Manx Industrial Relations Service (MIRS), failed to end the deadlock.

NAHT members then voted overwhelmingly to recommence action short of strike at the beginning of the new academic year.

Rob Kelsall, NAHT national secretary, said: ’School leaders and their teams have made superhuman efforts during the pandemic in order to ensure that the education of children and young people on the Isle of Man has continued.

’It was very disappointing to learn in our last meeting with the DESC in July that despite this and the progress made previously in talks, that they had no appetite to resolve the dispute.

’We only take industrial action as a last resort, and the action our members will be taking is designed to have maximum impact on DESC, not pupils and families.

The resumption of action follows an official industrial action ballot earlier in the year in which 96 per cent of NAHT school leader members voted that they would be prepared to take industrial action short of strike, and 87 per cent said they were prepared to strike.

Max Kelly, of NAHT’s Isle of Man Branch, said: ’Our aim throughout this dispute has been to put the needs of children and young people first.

’Without proper investment in the island’s teachers and leaders, the world class education we all crave for our pupils cannot become a reality.

’It came as a significant blow to our members that despite going above and beyond during the pandemic, the DESC had nothing to offer in order to settle the pay dispute.’

He urged the DESC to make arrangements as matter of urgency bring a ’credible offer to the table in order to settle this pay dispute’.