Teachers pledged last night to take no further action over the Ministry of Education's failure to give them a promised pay rise last month — after they were assured they would receive it by the end of October.

Hundreds of teachers attended a union meeting at St. Paul AME Church in Hamilton yesterday afternoon, where they agreed to accept the Government's offer to give them the five percent increase for 2008/9 by October 31.

Lessons were disrupted in public schools last Wednesday when teachers left their classrooms to attend a meeting about the issue and about the fact that some teachers had not received a September pay cheque at all.

Mike Charles, general secretary of Bermuda Union of Teachers, told The Royal Gazette that the Ministry was making an effort to sort out the problems concerning the individual pay cheques.

He said: "There won't be any further disruption. The people weren't absolutely happy but I guess it was something they could live with.

"On these things, you never get exactly what you want. They are ready to go back to work. They don't want to deprive the students of any more time."

Mr. Charles added: "One of the main things they were worried about was their colleagues who didn't get paid and that has been sorted out for the most part.

"They have agreed to hold out until the end of October for the actual five percent. Teachers are not completely satisfied but I think the Ministry has given enough to have teachers feeling a little bit satisfied."

Earlier, Education Minister Randy Horton told a press conference that relations between the Ministry and teachers were "in a good place".

He said: "There were differences and there were challenges in regards to meeting the requests of the union but we have met and I think we have talked through them."

Mr. Horton, who apologised last week to those teachers who did not receive their pay, said yesterday: "All people have been paid. There is no one who has not been paid."

He confirmed that teachers would receive their pay award on October 31.

"By October 31, all will be clear," he said.

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