Parent Power Strike Solution Vetoed By Teachers Union

Schoolteachers have now threatened to strike if parents are allowed to act as stand-in classroom assistants.

This further escalation of the long-running dispute over pay and conditions for assistants is another headache for the education boards for whom bringing parents into schools was one of the contingency plans in the event of a further strike by union, Nipsa.

The boards are hoping to prevent the closure of special needs schools as happening last month during a 10-day strike by classroom assistants which shut more than half of the schools.

The union which has been on strike, Nipsa, has now informed the education boards that it intends to hold another stoppage on or after next Monday.

However, Seamus Searson, NASUWT, said all five teacher unions will take industrial action if unqualified and unchecked adults are allowed to work in schools.

All the unions are writing to their members telling them to meet school principals and tell them they will not co-operate with such measures.

Helen McClenaghan, chief executive of the Southern Education Board, speaking for all five boards, said: "The focus must be on children and young people and particularly the most vulnerable children.

"Contingency arrangements are only necessary if Nipsa pursues its indefensible stand."

She urged the union to ballot its members again and also emphasised that, under the contingency plans, parents would only be responsible for their own children – and not be dealing with anyone elses kids.

But Bumper Graham of Nipsa said the employers' proposals were "ill thought-out" and warned: "We are the largest union by far in this dispute... the issue is that there is a dispute, there is only one way to resolve this and that is meaningful engagement."

The rival GMB union has revealed that its classroom assistant members had voted four to one in favour of the current offer from the employers and won’t be striking.

(BMcC)