Educators Call Off Upcoming Strike: What This Means for the Classroom

Four unions representing educators in Northern Ireland have halted planned industrial actions.

The action short of a strike was scheduled to commence on Monday and continue for four weeks.

INTO, the UTU, the NEU, and NASUWT had voted among their members regarding what they described as the absence of “an acceptable pay offer for 2024-25”.

The unions have indicated that the action has now been suspended “in an effort to successfully finalize negotiations”.

INTO Northern Secretary, Mark McTaggart noted that they “have not made this decision lightly,” emphasizing that the unions “are entirely ready to undertake industrial action if required at the conclusion of the four-week span”.

Jacquie White, the General Secretary of the Ulster Teachers’ Union, expressed appreciation for recent advancements in the negotiations.

“All we seek is a reasonable, just, and fair pay award for 2024/2025.

“This constructive move enables intense negotiations in the upcoming weeks,” she added.

Education Minister Paul Givan expressed satisfaction with the pause of industrial action.

He stated that educators “deserve a fair and just pay arrangement” and that he is “committed to accomplishing that”.

“I have communicated clearly with the unions that I am devoted to securing the necessary funding to present a formal pay offer concerning the agreement made during the previous summer in England and Wales, on the condition that we achieve consensus on a sustained period of stability, devoid of industrial actions, including ASOS, within our schools.”

Givan added that he had “requested the management side to amplify discussions with our trade union allies to finalize an agreement over the forthcoming four weeks”.

Educators in England were awarded a 5.5% salary increase for 2024-25 from the government in September.

This was financed by an extra £1.2bn from the UK government.

Although it is already more than halfway through the 2024-25 fiscal year, no compensation agreement for teachers in Northern Ireland has been reached yet.

BBC News NI has obtained a section from an executive document indicating that there is sufficient funding only to provide civil servants with a 3% salary hike for 2024/25.

The teaching unions in Northern Ireland accepted a prior pay arrangement in March 2024, but that was retroactively covering the years from 2021 to 2024.