SATURDAY’S march through St Helier, led by protesting teachers, broke new ground in the sense that it was the first event of its sort that the Island has ever seen. With placards, flags, whistles and chants, it was orchestrated to a level unseen in Royal Square demonstrations, the shape that Island protests ordinarily assume.

The level of organisation, the involvement of teachers’ union representatives from the UK and the support which the march received are no doubt indicative of the strength of feeling among members of the profession.

But in spite of backing from other pay groups, the event fell short of the mass action that it was forecast might develop in the light of widespread anger over government attitudes among public sector workers.

It is doubtful whether middle-of-the-road Jersey has much appetite for marches designed to highlight industrial grievances. Indeed, many will dismiss the weekend’s teacher-led protest as merely an attempt to challenge necessary, if regrettable, pay policy – in particular last year’s pay freeze.

This, however, would be to underestimate the breadth of the teachers’ concerns.

Although they have said that they will not negotiate on pay until their rejection of the freeze has been satisfactorily addressed and given that they have at best a fragile case when they demand to be treated as an exception at a time when across-the-board restraint is essential, they were also demonstrating against what they believe to be real threats to the quality of Island education.

That said, this nuance will have been lost on the many people who are unaccustomed to marches as a form of demonstration.

And even among those who have sympathy with the teachers’ desire to see high standards maintained might doubt whether professionals should ever take to the streets in support of their demands.

There will also be concern about the effect of the march on school pupils who witnessed it or will learn about it through the media. Some will claim that the spectacle will have undermined pupils’
respect for teachers.

On the other hand, the issues behind the march offer fertile ground for classroom debate, at least among more senior students.

Meanwhile, reaction to the march from Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur indicates that it cut very little ice in the top echelon of government. And the firmness promised by Senator Le Sueur suggests that much the same will apply if the teachers move on from demonstration to the ultimate sanction, strike action.