A COUNCIL has issued a "let's work together" plea to teaching unions to resolve a dispute over classroom shortages.

Middlesbrough Borough Council is facing up to the possibility of industrial action from members of the NASUWT union over teaching shortages in the authority's schools.

Members are being balloted in the next three weeks and could decide to rule on whether to continue covering lessons for absent colleagues.

Middlesbrough council is to meet with the main teaching unions on March 5 to discuss ways to solve the problems.

It is already attempting to forge closer links with teacher training colleges to improve the supply of teachers.

Council spokesman Mike Clark said: "The union is entitled to ballot its members.

"But we are asking them to join us in discussions as to how we can address the immediate problems and develop a long- term strategy to resolve teacher recruitment."

Union leaders have warned of an impending classroom crisis in the North-East, said to be caused by a shortage of people going into teacher training.

Schools in Middlesbrough are the only ones in the region where teachers are being balloted, although a number of others in the North-East could follow suit.