Primary School Teachers To Form Lunchtime Picket Lines

Primary school teachers across Northern Ireland are due to form lunchtime picket lines as part of an ongoing pay dispute.

It is understood that the action is to be taken at 60 primary schools across the province and is being supported by four teaching unions - the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the Ulster Teachers' Union (UTU) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT).

The industrial action follows extensive talks between the Education Authority and the General Teaching Council of Northern Ireland. Those talks ended in October, after 13 months, when unions walked out in protest of a 1% pay offer for 2016/17.

The affected schools include 22 across Belfast and County Antrim, 16 in County Down, eight in County Londonderry and six in County Antrim.

In a letter issued by Irish National Teachers' Organisation stated: "Our first joint action will be on Tuesday 8th November 2016 when teacher union members in schools are asked to come together and demonstrate at the school gates - at lunchtime for post-primary schools and at end of school for primary schools, to highlight the insulting pay offer and how lack of funding is impacting on the Education Service.

"Failing to pay teachers any increase at all in 2015/16 is illustrative of the worsening situation schools are having to face year-on-year since the austerity measures were introduced. Teachers have been extremely patient in accepting below inflation increases for five years but the failure to award a cost of living rise at all for 2015/16 has been the straw to break the camel’s back and teachers are quite rightly incensed at what they believe to be the exploitation of their goodwill to date. The belated offer of back-dating of ½ % is merely adding insult to injury."

(MH/LM)