Teachers across Northern Ireland have today walked out in a 12-hour strike.
The strike action lasted until noon today, in the escalation of a dispute over pay and the future of teaching.
Members of five unions took part, with schools reopening at noon to provide free school meals.
Ian McGonigle, the NEU teaching union’s Northern Ireland president, said pay for teachers has fallen by almost 40 per cent in real terms since 2010.
“We are not only striking for ourselves but for the future of the teaching profession and our colleagues, too,” he said.
“We all know teachers who are so burnt out they are going part-time in droves or on long-term sick absence, colleagues at the beginning of their careers whose take-home pay will be irreparably damaged and [it will] reduce their earning power across their entire career.
“For children without the SEN [special educational needs] support they need, or lost in the backlog waiting for assessment, for children whose education is at a detriment because of larger classroom sizes and less adults in the room, for the parents footing the bill because the school cannot afford basic supplies - we are taking this stand for them.”
Strike for a ‘fair pay rise for all teachers and leaders’
Gerry Murphy, northern secretary of the INTO teachers’ union, said teachers hope to get employers and the Department of Education to the negotiating table.
“The decision to strike is one INTO members have not rushed into - indeed, all of the recognised teacher trade unions have been very careful to manage this dispute in a way to minimise the disruption to the education of the children and young people in their care,” he said.
“The harm being wrought across the education system due to systematic underfunding over the past decade is the real threat to the future of our children and young people.”
Mr Murphy added: “INTO members and their colleagues in the other recognised teacher unions have had enough: enough of being forced to accept salaries that have not increased in real terms over the last 15 years, enough of increased workloads, enough of being forced to compensate for lack of resourcing and support for those in their care.
“Teachers are reasonable and sensible people and when they are moved to take strike action then the government should listen.
“The five recognised teachers’ unions are working together to achieve a decent and fair pay rise for all teachers and school leaders.”
Some health workers will also strike in Northern Ireland today over pay and conditions.
