Teachers in Northern Ireland have taken part in widespread strike action today.
It is the latest walkout affecting schools in a long-running dispute over pay. Separately, school support workers have also taken strike action over pay.
Teachers at schools took part in a half-day strike in February, while in April there was a full day of strike action in schools and further education colleges.
Teachers are angry at the delay in reaching a pay deal and at how Northern Ireland teacher pay scales compare with those in other parts of the UK.
The NASUWT teaching union is calling for a fully funded 12 per cent pay award for 2023-24. It said the past 13 years have seen cuts of 38 per cent to teachers’ pay in real terms.
With the continued hiatus of the Stormont Assembly and executive, the union is calling for the UK government to intervene.
Teachers ‘have had no pay rise for 3 years’
NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach described the pay situation as “simply intolerable”.
“Teachers have not had a pay increase for three years, while further education lecturer pay is even worse again,” he said.
Dr Roach added: “Our members shouldn’t be in the position where they must take industrial action to get the same basic rates of pay as colleagues elsewhere in the UK.
“Teachers and lecturers have seen their pay cut in real terms while their living costs continue to rise on a weekly basis.
“This is a disgrace, and the UK government needs to address this urgently.”
Justin McCamphill, NASUWT national official for Northern Ireland, added: “This is the third teachers’ strike this year, and members’ resolve has strengthened since April.
“They do not want to hear any more excuses and are demanding that they are paid the same as any other teacher in the UK. A Northern Ireland teacher is not worth less than an English or Scottish teacher.”
Mark McTaggart, northern secretary of the INTO teaching union, said: “Teachers here are the lowest paid across these islands, with the gap in pay widening over the past three years.
“If those who control the purse strings truly want children and young people to have access to the best possible education available, they must bring about a fair pay settlement for teachers and school leaders.”
A Department of Education spokesperson said: “The department fully understands the frustration of teachers and school leaders over the ongoing absence of a pay offer.
“It is regrettable that the department has been unable to offer teachers a pay award for the past three years similar to other jurisdictions, but it is simply unaffordable within an inadequate education budget.”
The spokesperson added: “Active engagement has been taking place for many months between management side and teachers’ side of the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee (TNC) on a teachers’ pay settlement for 2021-22, 2022-23 and now 2023-24.
“A joint TNC pay sub-group has met regularly during this period and discussions will continue as soon as finance becomes available.”
