Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union will take strike action In Northern Ireland on Wednesday 29 November over the failure to offer teachers and Further Education lecturers a fair and decent pay award.
The strike action follows a half day strike in schools on the 21 February and a full day on the 26 April.
NASUWT members in Northern Ireland’s Further Education colleges will join their school teacher colleagues in taking strike action.
NASUWT members in schools and FE colleges are already taking action short of strike action. The Union has now announced a half day of strike in furtherance of our campaigns for a Better Deal for Teachers and Lecturers.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:
“Teachers and lecturers simply cannot continue to teach in an environment where they are not properly rewarded for the important work they do. It is now over three years since our members in Northern Ireland have had a pay increase.
“Over the past three years the gap between teacher and lecturer pay across the UK has widened into what can only be described as a chasm. The failure of the school and college employers to make a satisfactory pay and conditions offer has left teachers and lecturers with no choice but to take further industrial action.
“At a time when teachers and lecturers are facing the biggest squeeze on their finances in a generation, the prospect of a further real-terms pay cut is simply unacceptable.
“Our members are not prepared to stand by while their pay dwindles and their living costs rise.
Justin McCamphill, NASUWT National Official Northern Ireland, said:
“This is a crisis situation for our members who would rather be in their schools and colleges working with their students, but have had no option but to take this action in order to stand up for their right to a salary which reflects the skilled and difficult work they do and which enables them to weather the cost of living crisis.
“Not only are teacher salaries the worst in these islands, but the pay for our lecturer members is worse again.
“The NASUWT are demanding that lecturers pay is increased immediately to school teacher levels and that when Stormont returns we will be campaigning for Further Education to be returned to the Department of Education.”
