School leaders in Northern Ireland have voted to take industrial action on pay, if an agreement with the employers cannot be reached.
It means that teaching unions in Northern Ireland are set to take “unprecedented” joint industrial action over pay.
As of this morning, members of the NAHT, INTO and NEU unions had voted to take coordinated action short of striking, with members of the UTU expected to follow.
The formal ballot by school leaders’ union the NAHT opened on 12 September and closed on 30 September.
Based on a 68 per cent turnout, 93 per cent of school leaders voted in favour of action short of a strike, and 62 per cent voted for strike action in pursuit of a settlement.
NAHT represents the majority of headteachers and school leaders in Northern Ireland. Members met yesterday to discuss what action short of a strike they will take and when.
Teacher pay: School leaders ‘caught in a vicious circle’
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “School leaders are caught in a vicious circle at the moment. Pay rates are so far adrift for professionals that they cannot recruit and retain sufficient staff. That recruitment and retention crisis extends to leadership as well. As we lose talent the quality of education suffers.
“For a very long time school leaders have survived on a make-do-and-mend basis but to continue to do so will cause damage for a generation. So, yes, this is about pay but it is driven by a deep desire to do the best for children and young people. Professional educators are an investment in the future of Northern Ireland, not a burden on the public purse. Taking the profession for granted is a false economy.”
He added: School leaders’ pay has been cut by a fifth in real terms since 2010, and this, in combination with high-stakes accountability, crushing workload, long hours and inadequate school funding, is driving leaders from the job they love.
“It is highly unusual for school leaders to contemplate taking industrial action, so this result is a very strong signal to government that they cannot ignore the issues any longer. ”
NAHT Northern Ireland president Liam McGuckin said: “The consecutive, cumulative pay decreases over the last decade have demeaned and damaged the role of school leadership to the extent that recruitment and retention are in danger.
“This is no way to treat a profession that contributes such immeasurable value to society in the face of hugely increased demand, expectation and workload at a time when resource, funding and support have been so significantly reduced.”
Any pay award for teachers in Northern Ireland would depend on the Stormont Executive reaching agreement on public sector pay policy and an education budget. However, there has been no executive in Northern Ireland since February.
