Northern Ireland schools will close later this month as teachers stage a full-day walkout.
The five teacher unions who make up the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC) have today announced a full day of strike action on Wednesday, April 26.
In February teachers staged a half day strike in an ongoing dispute over pay and workloads.
Read more: School children protest outside Northern Ireland Office over education funding cuts
The five unions planning to down tools are INTO, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU and UTU.
The announcement coincides with an escalation of ‘Action Short of Strike’ which commences today. The pay dispute comes against a backdrop of there being no Education Minister at Stormont to help resolve the issues raised.
A spokesperson for the unions said: “The five recognised teacher unions are calling on all teachers and school leaders to take a full day of strike on the 26 April. Our members have waited far too long for a satisfactory offer from the employers.
“Teachers pay, in real terms, has dropped by nearly a quarter in the ‘lost decade’ since the pay-freeze of 2010-11. We are now stepping up our campaign for a fair deal for all teachers.
“Our members have watched governments in other jurisdictions make offers which will lead to pay levels far in excess of what is available in Northern Ireland. Collectively the five recognised unions are saying enough is enough and that government and employers must act now to deliver a pay settlement which recognises the real terms loss in earnings suffered by teachers for more than a decade.”
UTU General Secretary Jacquie White said: “Already we’re experiencing a brain drain. Why would a newly qualified teacher with thousands of pounds of student debt take a job here when just across in Scotland their starting salary is immediately £10,000 higher."
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