School support workers to walk out as public transport strike takes place

School support workers are set to strike next Friday, on the same day as a wider public transport walkout.

Earlier this week, the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC) – comprising the five recognised trade unions – said members would strike for 12 hours from midnight on November 29.

The education sector workers, who belong to Unite the Union and include bus drivers, and will start the industrial action at 0001 on December 1.

The public transport strike will start at the same time.

Teachers and workers across the education sector have taken part in recent strike action over pay.

The latest plan for industrial action by school support workers follows a ballot of Unite members which returned a 94% majority for strikes in pursuit of a pay and grading review to address pay levels.

The action will impact school bus transport, catering, administration, cleaning, classroom assistants and other roles.

The public transport strike will include Ulsterbus, Citybus and the Glider which also provide school transport services.

Unite said the strike is the latest development in the ongoing industrial dispute over the failure to deliver a 2018 pay and grading review for education workers which was subsequently negotiated on the back of industrial action by Unite in 2022.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said workers have been left with no option but to escalate strike action.

“The failure to implement the pay and grading review leaves our low paid members working in the Education Authority no alternative but to escalate their strike action,” she said.

“The school support staff workers have the full and continuing support of Unite in their campaign for fair pay.”

Unite regional officer Kieran Ellison added: “The pay and grading review needs to be urgently progressed but the Department of Education is obstructing its implementation by failing to request the funding needed to pay for it.

“The permanent secretary and the department bears full responsibility for the continued strike action by school support workers.”