Derry teachers take to the the picket lines over pay levels and working conditions

Hundreds of teachers at schools in Derry went on strike yesterday over their current pay levels and working conditions. Members of the Irish National Teacher Organisation (INTO) engaged in a half day strike yesterday, which resulted in significant disruption at the schools affected. Further action is planned for later this month, with the National Association of Schoolmasters and Women Teachers (NASUWT) in Derry set to stage a one-day strike on January 31. The move comes after all teaching unions in Northern Ireland rejected an offer that would have seen their pay frozen last year and a rise of one per cent for 2016-17. One of those manning the picket lines yesterday was Annette Comey, the INTO union representative in the Western area, who also works as a teacher at St Patrick’s Primary School. Speaking to the Derry News, Mrs Comey said that local teachers were left with no option but to stage strike action, given their ‘frustrations’ over their workload increasing but not receiving the corresponding wage. “We are not asking for anything more – we are simply asking to paid what we are owed for the work that we do,” she told the Derry News. “That workload has increased in recent years, and while we are committed to delivering the best education possible, that is becoming increasingly difficult with the budgets we are working for. “We’re being asked to do more for less money, and while people may say that we were offered a one per cent pay rise, they also need to realise that our National Insurance and pension contributions have increased, so we would be even worse off.” Mrs Comey added that teachers had seen an ongoing reduction in the wages over the last decade, which has resulted in a significant drop in what they take home at the end of the month. “In 2008, a teacher in the same position as me would be taking home an extra £720 per month,” she added. “We didn’t take this decision to strike lightly, but there’s so much frustration among teachers, and I think that’s reflected in the numbers standing outside their schools today.” She also issued a warning to politicians ahead of the Assembly elections on March 2. “We had called on Education Minister Peter Weir to take action, but given that Stormont has collapsed, we would be issuing a call to local politicians putting themselves forward at the polls,” she added. “And that is instead of just giving teachers assurances that they will deliver for us, they have to actually deliver. “So either pay teachers what they’re owed, or you’ll pay at the ballot box.”