The Minister for Education John Cortes last week chaired the meeting of the Social Partnership Forum set up between the Government and NASUWT - Teachers’ Union.  The Forum had not met for some years but has been reconvened and will now meet every two months.

The Forum is made up of the NASUWT Gibraltar Executive, the Office of the Chief Secretary, the Department of Personnel and Development, the Department of Education, and Industrial Relations, which will chair future meetings. It aims to provide an avenue for discussion of matters of interest to the Union and the Government which have a bearing on teachers and Education. It brings together senior officials in relevant departments as well as the Union’s Executive and so is the ideal forum for tackling issues quickly and finding solutions.

Matters discussed at the meeting included a number of outstanding claims, use of facility time, violent behaviour and behaviour generally, teacher wellbeing, and the development of policies in the Department of Education.

The Minister for Education, the Hon Prof John Cortes, commented: “The reconvening of the Forum to me is a significant step in furthering the work that the Union and Government as a whole, and the Department of Education and the schools, need to do to ensure that the wellbeing and interests of teachers, and also of learners, are being looked after. This Forum with wide Government representation is ideal in ensuring that all stakeholders are familiar with current issues and work collectively to resolve problems and move forward.”