Ministry over several outstanding issues.

BUT organiser Milton Scott said the issues were not part of discussions surrounding a new collective bargaining agreement.

Teachers have been working without a new contract since August 31.

Those talks -- which began last month but have been delayed due to the illness of senior manager of the Education Department's human resources, Raymond Latter -- were expected to resume when Mr. Latter returned to work.

But Sen. Scott said the union, on September 15, filed grievances with the Labour Department over several working conditions which had to be addressed as soon as possible.

They included: a failure to provide the appropriate number of preparation and marking periods for teachers; teachers working in excess of the hours that they were suppose to be on duty; and the Ministry's failure to guarantee the lunch period as provided in the collective bargaining agreement.

"Some of the matters we have found grievances about are from the middle and senior school level,'' Sen. Scott said.

And he claimed that the Ministry had not complied with the grievance procedure the union filed.