28th November 2023
Following the decision taken by the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC) to call a half day of strike action on Wednesday 29 November 2023, INTO Northern Secretary Mark McTaggart said:
“While no teacher wishes to take such action, the employing authorities, the Department of Education [DE] and the Northern Ireland Office [NIO], continue to ignore our teachers’ reasonable demands regarding an annual cost of living increase. INTO are therefore left with no option but to use the only avenue available to escalate our action and instruct our members to strike.
The Employers and DE appear to have conveniently forgotten that it was teachers who risked their lives and those of their families to keep the education system, and thereby society, functioning over the course of the pandemic.
Teacher’s pay has fallen by 25% over the past decade the effect is already obvious, with the continued shortage of teachers due to issues around recruitment and retention. 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.
Teachers and school leaders have already demonstrated their capacity to fight for a salary that properly reflects their true worth to society, and which allows them to feel valued and respected by those in power. It is imperative that we continue this fight, failure to do so has the potential to have a devastating effect on the life chances of the children and young people.”