Teacher unions to ballot members for industrial action over pay

By Rebecca Black (PA)

Three of the largest trade unions representing teachers in Northern Ireland have announced they will ballot members for industrial action over pay.

The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (Into) and Ulster Teachers’ Union (UTU) said management has failed to make a satisfactory pay offer for 2024/5.

They said they have given notice to Education Minister Paul Givan that they intend to ballot for industrial action.

A fourth union, the National Education Union (NEU), has announced an indicative ballot of members in relation to the dispute.

In a joint statement, the unions said they are “making it clear to the minister that, if he wishes to avoid industrial action, he needs to make a satisfactory offer on pay”.

They also said they are committed to working together to ensure that existing workload agreements are fully implemented at school level and that work which has commenced in relation to the workload reviews continues to be progressed with a sense of urgency.

NASUWT national official Justin McCamphill said teachers are being hit hard by increases in prices for food and energy.

“When this is combined with high interest rates and ever increasing rents, teachers cannot make ends meet,” he said.

“Teachers in Northern Ireland have watched since the summer as their counterparts in the rest of the UK have received significant pay increases for this academic year and are telling us that they are fed up with being left behind.

“This situation has forced teachers into a position where they are left with no choice but to put the minister on notice that they will take industrial action if a significant pay offer is not made forthwith.”

Mark McTaggart, from Into, said teachers are the “least well-paid across these islands”.

“It would appear that the minister is content to allow the education system to sleepwalk into a crisis of recruitment and retention of teachers, and to allow talented teachers to be trained for export,” he said.

“Teachers across the north are once again the least well-paid across these islands.

“Teachers have a right to receive a salary that truly reflects their value to society.

“The continued failure by those who hold the purse strings to provide this has the potential to have a devastating effect on the life chances of the children and young people in their care.”

Jacquie White, from the UTU, urged Mr Givan to address the issue as a matter of priority.

“It is disheartening, to say the least, for our teaching workforce to find themselves once again as the lowest paid members of the profession across these islands,” she said.

“Despite promises from our politicians and decision-makers to ensure our teachers are equally valued, the marked lack of progress and commitment here is causing grave concern.

“We call on the minister to address this issue as a matter of priority, restore the pay to fair and equitable levels, and allow us to move forward.”

Pauline Buchanan, from the NEU, said: “Since teachers last received a pay rise in 2020/21, we have been living through a horrendous cost-of-living crisis – whilst prices have soared, no increase has been made.

“The profession is undervalued and under-resourced, and this is leading to many making the difficult choice to either leave or teach elsewhere.

“Teachers carry out vital work for the children of today, the workforce of tomorrow, and shape education for generations to come and deserve, at the very least, a decent pay rise – now.”

Responding, Mr Givan expressed his disappointment.

“On Monday, the Executive announced October monitoring allocations and I am currently considering the implications of the additional financial allocation to education,” he said.

“It was with disappointment that I was notified today of the decision by a number of teachers’ unions to proceed to ballot their members for industrial action in the coming weeks.

“Any proposals for a teachers’ pay award must be affordable and this is difficult given the current financial pressures, however we will continue to work with the Teachers’ Negotiating Council (TNC) joint pay group to seek a resolution.”

The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (Into) and Ulster Teachers’ Union (UTU) said management has failed to make a satisfactory pay offer for 2024/5.