Watch members from all four unions (UTU,INTO, NAHT, NEU) as they speak directly about the issues being highlighted in our joint pay campaign:

SIGN OUR PETITION TO SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN FOR FAIR PAY IN EDUCATION BY VISITING:  

https://chng.it/wpnB8NCyDF

 

Questions for Election Canvassers

We have identified a range of questions for candidates in the NI Assembly Election.

If you are canvassed by candidates, please ask parties to answer these questions.

 

Public Meetings – Further Information

 

UTU INTO, NAHT & NEU are holding a number of public meetings to discuss the issue of teachers’ pay. Meetings will allow members a chance to have their voice heard and for us to share with members our plans – more details below:

 

Teachers’ Unions Come Together to Launch a Pay Campaign

The members of the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC), the representative body for the teachers’ unions, have agreed to act jointly to make finding an acceptable resolution to the question of teachers’ pay an election issue.

For further information read the full NITC Press Release

NITC Pay Campaign – Details

The objective of this campaign is to force the issue of teachers’ pay on to the agenda of the political parties and to make resolving the issue a feature of the post-election political negotiations.

NITC unions are arguing for political commitment in the coming mandate to resolving teachers’ pay.

The impact of Public Pay Policy (maximum of 1%) is continuing to erode the value of teachers’ pay.

The education employers through the Department of Education must engage with DoF (Finance) after the elections to prioritise pay resolution.

NITC believe that the issue of Teachers’ Pay must be included as a key concern and included at the top of the agenda in any new or revised ‘Stormont House’ Agreement or similar.

 

Listening to members:

To this end we are holding a number of public meetings across Northern Ireland;

  • 4 April -  Newry (Canal Court)
  • 4 April  - Ballymena (Tullyglass Hotel)
  • 7 April - Northwest / Derry (City Hotel)
  • 12 April - Belfast (Stormont)
  • 13 April - Omagh (Strule)

All meetings will start at 7:00pm and NITC union representatives will address those attending.

 

These meetings will allow us to share with members our plans:

  • Campaigning during the election on the issue of teachers’ pay
  • Political engagement with Executive parties immediately after the election.
  • Should it be impossible to reach an acceptable settlement on pay, to work with the NITC to bring forward a co-ordinated campaign of industrial action up to and including strike action.

 

Further action:

  • We will be emailing all members with advice and guidance on how to raise the issue when canvassers call at their door.
  • We will be communicating with parents through schools so that they are aware of the damage to education as a result of the erosion of teachers’ pay.
  • We will engage with Executive parties after the election to prioritise teachers’ pay.

Our members have already clearly expressed frustration and anger over their pay, workload and working conditions.

Teachers are disappointed that there has been no recognition of the dedication and hard work during the pandemic when teachers stood up as key workers to ensure the continuation of education and implementing remote learning alongside face-to-face learning for the children of other key workers and vulnerable children.

 

NITC are calling on the Executive to:

  • Avoid further pay ‘cuts’.
  • Urgently repair the damage that has already been done because of the erosion of teachers’ pay.
  • Listen to the united voice of the teaching profession and make the changes necessary to properly value teachers and school leaders.

 

Teachers and school leaders have suffered from a succession of pay cuts against inflation for over a decade, negatively impacting the ability of the profession to compete against other graduate professions and increasing recruitment and retention problems.

The impact of the pay freeze, and below inflation pay increases continue to be felt while inflation climbs higher.

Huge rises in energy costs and the National Insurance increases will only add to the already devastating impact of the attacks on teacher and school leader pay levels since 2010.

Increases to starting pay must be seen alongside equivalent increases for all teachers and school leaders, and those increases must be enough to begin to restore the pay losses against inflation since 2010.

To value education, Employers must also value educators and that means proper pay!