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The wage dispute between the Government and public-sector teachers was sent to the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) last night, as the Ministry of Labour moves to avert a second two-day strike that has been called for Monday.

The IDT is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. today to examine the dispute. According to Pearnel Charles, minister of labour, the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) has been notified.

It is widely expected that the IDT will order normalcy at the workplace before hearing the dispute.

This would effectively put a stop to the strike, which was announced by JTA President Michael Stewart only minutes before Charles went to the IDT.

Stewart said the decision to stage another two-day strike came after the JTA's central executive voted during a meeting yesterday to reject the Government's latest offer of $1 billion this year and the remaining $7 billion over the next three fiscal years.

Several attempts to get a comment from Stewart about the Government's decision to go to the IDT were unsuccessful.

However, Charles, who was obviously annoyed with the JTA's decision, said he went to the IDT in order to get a settlement between the teachers and the Ministry of Finance.

"If two parties cannot settle their dispute at the Ministry of Labour, it is referred to the IDT, which has the authority, under law, to hand down a decision that both the employer and employee must comply with," he explained.

The majority of public-sector teachers stayed away from the classroom on Monday and Tuesday last week in an attempt to force the Government to pay them long-outstanding salaries.

The strike came in the middle of a work-to-rule by the teachers, which is still in effect.