A pay offer to teachers in Northern Ireland is causing controversy as it doesn't explicitly guarantee a waiver on their right to strike in the future. Graham Gault, head of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), stated that no union would relinquish its 'sovereign and constitutional right' to take industrial action. The offer, currently under consideration by union members, urges them to agree that strikes should be a last resort. Gault addressed misinformation circulating on social media and urged members to base their decisions on facts rather than emotional responses. He emphasized that the offer seeks collective collaboration between unions, employers, and the Department of Education to prevent the necessity of strikes. While acknowledging the financial constraints within the education system, teaching employers, including the Department of Education, Education Authority, and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), maintain that the proposal offers a significant and fair pay increase. Unions are expected to recommend accepting the deal, with members potentially voting on the outcome by Thursday.
A pay offer made to teachers does not include a commitment to waive their right to strike in the future, the head of one of Northern Ireland's main teaching unions has said.
The offer, which is being considered by union members, also asks them to agree that "industrial action should only be taken as a last resort in any dispute".there had been "a lot of misinformation on social media" about that aspect of the deal and he wanted members to "vote on the basis of truth instead of hysteria".
"The deal actually ties the department and the employing authorities into delivering improvements for the workforce, these are commitments that they've made that lie behind this deal. "We firmly believe that this formal offer provides a significant and fair pay increase for our teaching staff and will positively impact teachers' workload concerns," their letter to the unions said.
Labor TEACHERS STRIKES PAY UNION NORTHERNIRELAND
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