Minister of Education Diallo Rabain yesterday said he hoped that teachers in the public system would be happy with the result of negotiations about working conditions and end a work to rule.

The Bermuda Union of Teachers voted to work to rule before the summer vacation over several problems raised under the previous One Bermuda Alliance administration.

The OBA set up the Public Service Negotiating Team to conduct talks and it is due to meet the union again tomorrow.

Mr Rabain said: “The PNST is the team charged with dealing with the union and when they are ready to release a report on any of their negotiations they will release it.

“I am hopeful that teachers will be happy and ready to go back to school, but I cannot predict what will happen in the meeting that they plan to have on Friday.”

The union’s concerns cover scale posts, the speciality subjects that teachers at all education levels are responsible for in addition to their normal teaching duties and the workload of deputy principals at primary level given extra teaching responsibilities.

Negotiations also involve the wording of the introduction to the collective bargaining agreement — the BUT wants to have “the delivery of modern and relevant education” included in it.

Bermuda Union of Teachers President Shannon James said last night: “We have been meeting and working feverishly to avoid any disruption next week”.