The teachers’ union, Gibraltar NASUWT, has “cautiously” welcomed the Chief Minister’s commitment in yesterday’s Budget speech to “settle all outstanding claims’ and to ‘address the detail” of the union’s pay adjustment claim.

A spokesperson said: “Gibraltar NASUWT would like to congratulate the Government for achieving an £82.8 million budget surplus.

“We are also very pleased to hear that the public sector pay cap for those earning over £46,000 has been abolished and that those affected will have their monetary loss reimbursed.

“Importantly for those on supply work, we are very glad with the Government’s plan to consult with all unions, aiming to abolish the abuse of zero hour contracts.

“On his discussion on the Pay Adjustment Claim for Teachers, we take note and thank the Chief Minister for pointing out that ‘The success we boast could not have happened if it were not for the teachers in our community.’ We assume that he refers to the successes boasted in his budget speech.

“On the 26^th June 2018 we submitted our Pay Adjustment Claim and to date, we have still not started serious negotiations with the Chief Minister. His commitment in his budget speech to ‘settle all outstanding claims’ and to ‘address the detail of the claim’ are cautiously welcome and we still expect that a meaningful counter-proposal will be offered in the appointment set for next week.

“As a responsible union, we will continue to work with Government in the spirit of social partnership and good honest relations, in order to reach a positive and mutually beneficial resolution to our Pay Adjustment Claim.”