Students marched on Parliament yesterday demanding that Government ?Give our teachers what they want?, but an early morning agreement had already sent teachers back into classrooms.

The students, from CedarBridge Academy and Berkeley Institute, had planned their action on Thursday while pay talks between Government and teachers were still at a standstill.

Teachers had continued a two-day ?sick-out? on Thursday, flouting the Trade Disputes Act which had been invoked the day before and forcing 40 Government schools closed, but yesterday they returned to work.

Labour Minister Randy Horton told Parliament this concession was achieved after marathon late night negotiations organised by Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) and Bermuda Trade Union Congress (BTUC).

He said a negotiation session led by BTUC president Maynard Dill and BIU president Derrick Burgess had yielded progress and led to concessions from both sides in the dispute.

?The effort began at 6 p.m. (Thursday) and went on until 3 a.m. in the morning demonstrating the strong commitment of all involved,? said Mr. Horton. ?This is a fine example of a community effort and we must give (it) every opportunity to succeed.?

Mr. Horton said the progress at this meeting led him to temporarily suspend legal moves intended to force the teachers back into the classroom.

?(Thursday) I stated that I had put in train a legal remedy which would bring the dispute to a binding arbitrated settlement,? he said. ?The mechanism for this legal action is the Trade Disputes Act 1992 and a notice under this Act was duly published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday May 19.

?In order to progress action following this notice it is necessary for me to appoint a Tribunal and supply it with terms of reference.

?Mr. Speaker, I have not yet appointed a Tribunal and supplied terms of reference, so that the ongoing effort I mentioned earlier can be given a chance.?

But the 100-odd students who took to the House of Assembly grounds in support of their teachers yesterday said Government should not short-change their educators.

Using loudspeakers, the students called on Premier Alex Scott and Education Minister Terry Lister to come out of the Friday session and answer their questions about ongoing negotiations.

Mr. Lister and Mr. Scott appeared with Attorney General Larry Mussenden and Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown before the students.

With home-made signs in hand that spelled out slogans such as ?We are the Future of Bermuda? and ?We Will Make a Difference? the students told Mr. Lister and Mr. Scott they were behind their teachers? requests for higher pay 100 percent.

CedarBridge student Ciara Eve told Mr. Lister: ?Education is our priority. Teachers do more overtime than what a lot of people know. Their requests should be taken seriously.?

She also said students were concerned about graduating on time ? with all their exams completed.

?I can assure you, you will graduate under these circumstances,? Mr. Lister said. ?We want everyone to do well. I am satisfied the negotiations are ongoing, and I hope you are satisfied as well with the discussion. We are preparing for further negotiations, we want an agreement even more than you do so your school life can continue.?

Mr. Lister said he supported the students action and was impressed they had organised the march.

But he also moved to deflect their frustrations from Government.

?The timing is the key ? the teachers chose the time to go out, they chose the most devastating time, and the students are really the ones who are the victims here,? he said. ?As of this moment no teacher has lost any pay, but the students have lost exams.

?It?s very unfortunate that the students are the ones who are losing out. Now, we are negotiating to bring this thing to a halt and get the teachers a contract they can live with.?

Premier Alex Scott told the students they had made their point.

?You have brought the point home to teachers and parents,? he said. ?At the moment we sorting things out so you can go on and finish the school year and be successful.?

One the march organisers, Berkeley student Akin Flood, said Government?s reluctance to meet teachers? pay requests has affected students? education ? particularly as plans for the senior students graduation ceremony had not been made and students were unable to receive extra tutoring in their school subjects.

Mr. Flood said students want Government to put teachers on the same pay level as other civil servants to end the work to rule action and to show teachers they are valued members of the community.

?What teachers are asking for is absolutely fair, they want due pay ? a fair demand in a profession that is a necessity in our lives,? he said. ?We think the Ministry has forgotten about the time, the hours and the dedication of our teachers.

He said Berkeley was in ?chaos? and students are confused about what was going on but the principal was evasive about answering their questions.

?She?s a decent principal but we feel that the power has been taken out of her hands at the moment,? he said.

?We?ll probably end up having a cap and gown ceremony at someone?s house,? he added.