Education welfare officers strike for pay parity

Welfare officers employed by the Education Authority in the West took to the streets on Thursday in protest at a lack of pay parity with other social workers.

The workers claim they are paid £5,000 less than other social workers in the North, with vital welfare services now unavailable at many schools as vacant positions remain unfilled.

Dozens of workers from Omagh, Enniskillen and Strabane gathered outside the EANI headquarters in Omagh joined the protest, demanding urgent negotiations with management.

Education welfare officer Dolores Austin said the workers have been treated “deplorably” by the body.

“The Education Authority has treated us deplorably. We get paid £5,000 less than our counterparts and we’ve just said enough is enough. We deserve to be paid for the job that we do,” Austin said.

“We need a social work qualification to do our job, it’s a requirement for the job. Currently we are having recruitment and retention difficulties because no-one wants to come and work for the Education Authority as a social worker, because no-one can afford to take a £5,000 a year pay cut.”

“So we are saying to the Education Authority that enough is enough and that we deserve parity of pay.”

The social worker added that there are between 11 and 20 welfare officer positions which are lying vacant, with children at many schools not able to receive vital welfare services.

“The Education Authority has ignored us. They are very good with words that say they are committed to resolving this issue but they have yet to start negotiations with us, which is forcing us into industrial action.”

“From one of our teams that are four team members down, there are 33 schools in that area not receiving a service, and children are not getting the support they require. Some of those children have mental health difficulties, anxiety and some of them have attempted to end their own lives and they all need support.”

West Tyrone MP Orflaith Begley was in attendance at the strike alongside Sinn Fein MLAs Maoliosa McHugh and Nicola Brogan.

“I’m standing here today in solidarity with the Education Welfare Officers, who unfortunately today have had to come out of their workplace to strike and demand that they have pay parity.”

“They are doing the work of social workers and yet they are not being paid the same wage and I’ve been listening intently today to the work that they are having to do across the board.”

“I’m calling on education minister Peter Weir to step up to the mark to ensure that the voices of these workers are heard today, and I’ll be writing to him directly to make the case that they receive the correct pay for the work which they are doing.”

A spokesperson for the Education Authority said, “We acknowledge the industrial action taken by our Education Welfare Officers and are involved in regular meetings with NIPSA to resolve this. An Education Welfare Service Transformation Project Board has been established to ensure an efficient and effective service that meets the needs of pupils, families and schools, and prioritise resolution to the dispute.”