HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC:

The island's public-school teachers are delighted with a new deal that will see them paid in line with public-service workers, Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT) president Lisa Trott said on Friday.

From 2008-09, teachers' pay will be linked "as close as mathematically possible" to the Bermuda Public Service Union (BPSU).

The move follows a long-running dispute between the BUT and the Ministry of Education.

Teachers will also receive a rise of 4.5 per cent in 2006-07 and four per cent in 2007-08, an offer they had previously rejected in talks with the ministry.

Trott said the new deal - granted by an arbitration panel - would likely mean another increase in 2008-09, with teachers also reaping the rewards every time BPSU negotiates a pay rise in future years.

"During the arbitration, the ministry's team tried to say that we were given parity (with BPSU) in 2004. But that was only for that period of time. Now this says they will give us that parity forever," Trott told reporters.

good response

She said teachers had responded well after being told of the agreement at a meeting.

"People applauded and people were very pleased," she said. "Going through an arbitration like this you really get a sense as to how hard the government's team works to ensure that you don't get a pay rise.

"Some things were said about us, for example that teachers are part-time workers. We even had people comparing us to garbage-truck workers.

"Once the facts are given, people will understand we are not asking for anything exorbitant over and above anything everyone else is getting. We just want our fair share. We didn't ask for more than BPSU."