Derry Labour backteachers on pay

The Derry branch of the Labour Party has backed local teachers' ongoing industrial action for pay increases on a par with those received by their counterparts in Britain.

Foyle Labour recently received Sarah Parlour, President of the Northern Ireland Branch of the NASUWT, who gave members an update on the ongoing industrial and strike action being taken by its members.

Ms Parlour told members of the party that there was provision made in the Northern Ireland block grant in 2015/16, for a 1 per cent pay increase but she claimed employers have “continued their policy of offering zero per cent pay and maintaining their attempt to restrict teachers’ incremental pay progression”.

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Meanwhile, teachers in England, Scotland and Wales all received a minimum of a one per cent pay increase in 2015/16.

Martin Lawton, on behalf of the local Labour Party, said: “The manner in which the Department of Education and the Executive is treating the teaching profession in Northern Ireland is not the way forward towards the goal of achieving a world class education for future generations of children and young people and for the economic future of Northern Ireland.

“Teachers deserve our utmost respect as educators of our children and we feel that this derisory pay offer from the Department of Education is nothing short of an insult to their profession.”

Ms Parlour also explained that the union was very concerned about the action of the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETINI) in undertaking inspections in schools where members of other teaching unions are boycotting inspections thus putting increased pressure on its members.