Most Northern Ireland schools will be closed on Wednesday due to a day-long teachers’ strike.
For the first time, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) is taking part, joining four teachers’ unions that staged a strike on February 21.
With almost all teachers on strike, most schools will not be able to open.
In addition to teachers, public sector workers are also on strike, affecting ports, MOT centers and courts.
Unions involved include the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (Nipsa), the civil servants union, together with members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the National Union of General and Municipal Workers (GMB), Unite and all teachers unions.
- Five NI unions participate in strike
- NI officials are on strike
- When and where are the next teachers’ strikes?
The actions of the teachers’ unions are mainly due to a wage dispute that involved a deal that lasted more than a year.
NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers) members working in further education (FE) colleges in Northern Ireland are set to go on strike alongside their school colleagues for the first time in the current dispute.
Ulster Teachers’ Union (UTU) President Lynelle Fenton said teachers were “on strike for the children and young people they see at school every day because they fear for their education”.
“I really don’t think parents realize the cuts ahead and the profound, potentially irreparable damage they will do to our education system, a system that has often been the envy of other parts of the UK,” she said.
“If the government wants to invest in their youth, in the future of society, they have to invest in our schools and our teachers.
“We are already seeing the effects of the brain drain as teachers leave Northern Ireland for better salaries elsewhere.”
In February 2022, unions rejected a salary offer from employers for 2021-2023 as “insufficient”.
Since then, the cost of living has skyrocketed with inflation exceeding 10%.
But with Stormont’s education budget under severe pressure, it’s not clear how much money is available to make the teachers a salary offer that the unions would accept.
This is the first time in its 125-year history that NAHT members have gone on strike over pay.
Earlier, Northern Ireland NAHT President Liam McGuckin said in a statement to BBC News NI that strikes were “the very last resort”.
“Our members have reached the absolute last bit of their patience with a system that is failing its schools, its workforce and most importantly its young people,” he said.
Justin McCamphill, NASUWT national official, said the “action to close schools and colleges for a day demonstrates the seriousness of the situation teachers and faculty are facing.”
“We hope parents will realize that the quality of education their children receive depends on having teachers who are recognized and rewarded as qualified professionals,” he added.
“For teachers, strike is really the last resort.
“But if they feel they are not being recognized and rewarded for what they do and they are being insulted by annual pay cuts, they have no choice but to take those actions.”
INTO (Irish National Teachers’ Organization) North Secretary Mark McTaggart described the strike as a last resort, saying teachers and school leaders “do not take the decision to retire lightly”.
“No teacher wants to take that step,” he said. “This action is not directed against parents and their children – but for their children.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the five unions said their members had “waited far too long for a satisfactory offer from employers”.
“Teacher wages have fallen by nearly a quarter in real terms in the ‘lost ten years’ since the 2010-11 pay freeze,” she added.
“We are now stepping up our campaign for a fair deal for all teachers.
“Our members have watched governments in other jurisdictions make offers that result in wage levels well in excess of what is available in Northern Ireland.
“Together, the five recognized unions say ‘enough is enough’ and that government and employers must act now to reach a wage agreement that recognizes the real wage losses teachers have suffered for more than a decade.”
Many teachers in England will also go on strike on Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May.
The NEU (National Education Union), the largest education union in England’s schools and colleges, turned down a salary offer of a lump sum payment of £1,000 this year and a 4.3% increase next year.
Elsewhere, the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland has said its public services could be affected by the industrial action taking place on Wednesday.
It said “emergency precautions have been taken as far as possible, but the public is advised to expect disruptions to many services, as well as prioritizing support for the incidents with the greatest impact on life and property.”
The department said the Strangford ferry would not operate due to an ongoing strike and that its ability to respond to flood emergencies would be significantly reduced should services be affected.
Clients with appointments booked should attend as scheduled unless DVA has directly advised they are not attending.
Add Comment