…By Joseph Benjamin for TDPel Media.
Hundreds of teachers and other public sector workers gathered at Belfast City Hall as part of large-scale pay-related industrial action.
All five teaching unions in Northern Ireland were involved, with the National Association of Head Teachers striking for the first time in its history in relation to pay.
The strikes meant that most schools in the region were closed on Wednesday.
The Nipsa, the largest union in Northern Ireland, was joined by members of the PCS, GMB, Unite and other teachers’ unions at picket lines.
Courts, ports, vehicle testing centres and government offices were also affected by the action involving numerous civil servants.
Jacqui White, general secretary of the Ulster Teachers Union (UTU), said pay rates for teachers in the region are “totally unacceptable” as she criticised the failure of the authorities to resolve a long-running pay dispute.
“The message coming to our teachers: our contribution to society is worth nothing.
The ultimate insult to add to the injury already suffered,” she said.
Ms White commended the teachers for stepping out of their comfort zone and showing “courage and determination” to take strike action.
Nipsa said Wednesday’s strike took place against a backdrop of a sharp decline in the real value of public service pay, a looming Stormont budget that will deliver significant cuts and an overwhelming cost-of-living crunch hitting working-class communities.
The Department of Education said it was not possible to make a fresh pay offer to teachers until clarity was secured on the funding allocation for this financial year.
“This will be reviewed when the outcome of the 2023/24 budget is known and discussions will continue between the department, other management side colleagues and the teachers’ unions,” said a department spokesperson.
The Northern Irish public sector unions are demanding a pay increase of 15% over three years, to bring salaries into line with those in the rest of the UK.
They say the region’s public sector pay has fallen significantly behind the rest of the UK, with some salaries up to £10,000 less than those in other parts of the country.
However, the Department of Finance said the cost of the unions’ pay claim would be £1.2bn over three years, and claimed the budget does not have the money to fund such a demand.