Northern teachers begin industrial action

Thousands of teachers across Northern Ireland launched a campaign of industrial action today as the new term began.

All school teachers in the North – some 22,000 – were involved in the action, which is over delays in pay increases for senior teachers.

The Northern Department of Education has – following an independent review – decided to fund the second stage of an increase for classroom teachers at the top of the pay scale from September 2003 rather than 2002 as initially agreed.

The Department says it cannot afford to backdate the money and the decision effectively denies more than 14,000 teachers just over £1,000 (€1,425) and leaves them worse off than their counterparts in England and Wales, where the increase has already been implemented.

The four unions representing teachers last term voted overwhelmingly for new year industrial action short of a strike and the two largest, the NASUWT and INTO, also voted for strike action.

The head teachers union did not hold a ballot but agree to support the industrial action.

Initially the action is designed to hit at bureaucracy, administration and the teachers will also boycott statutory Key Stage I, 2 and 3 tests of pupils.

Ray Calvin, general secretary of the Ulster Teachers’ Union said today: “Our problem is not with the parents or school governors, this action will hit central government not the youngsters.”

He pointed out that when the first stage of the pay award was made to 14,500 teachers, the employer spent over £1m (€1.4m) in an assessment process and less than 70 failed – reduced to around 40 on appeal.

He said teachers were again being asked to “jump through the hoops” of assessment while being denied 12 months money.

The Ulster Unionist Party, SDLP and Sinn Féin are supporting the teachers’ action.

Sinn Féin’s education spokesman Davy Hyland said: “Teachers deserve equal treatment when it comes to pay. The last 12 months has seen a failure to tackle the growing discontentment within the teaching unions on key issues around pay.

“It is time to treat our teachers fairly.”

He urged the direct rule minister responsible for education, Jane Kennedy, to urgently meet with the teachers’ unions.

The Northern Department of Education said management were meeting tomorrow and would consider what advice to offer to schools to help them cope with the industrial action.

It added: “We would urge both sides of the negotiating committee to resume their discussions and reach an early and constructive solution.”