NEGOTIATIONS are continuing in a bid to avoid further strike action at Haverfordwest’s two secondary schools.

In an update to overview and scrutiny councillors, director of education Kate Evans-Hughes said it was hopeful that discussions will lead to a “mutual agreement” between teachers and the local authority.

But a disagreement on the length of time with a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies remained, the schools and learning committee heard on Tuesday (June 19).

Teachers in the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) at Sir Thomas Picton and Tasker Milward School had been due to take further industrial action on Thursday, June 28.

But that has now been cancelled while both parties continue to talk.

Further action is still planned for Tuesday, July 17.

Mrs Evans-Hughes said: “The commitment initially was that all posts would be ring-fenced and internally recruited.

“However the governing body, with local authority support, felt quite strongly if those candidates did not meet the requirements or the standards that were needed for that school that they reserved the right to go to external adverts afterwards.”

Committee chairman Cllr John Davies said that this had happened and this was a “bone of contention.”