School support staff to strike in May and June

School support staff, including classroom assistants, canteen staff and bus drivers, will take part in several days of strike action across May and June. 

Workers who are members of the public sector unions Unite, GMB and Nipsa say they are taking action to improve their pay and grading.

Unite and Nipsa members will go on strike from May 20 to 22, while GMB members will strike on May 20 and 21.

Members of all three unions will continue their industrial action on June 3 and 4.

The strikes will involve more than 1,000 Unite members and more than 3,000 GMB members, including special educational needs assistants, classroom assistants, bus drivers, bus escorts, caterers, cooks, administrators, and other school support staff.

School support staff are among the lowest-paid workers in the education sector, a situation made worse by the fact that they are only paid during term time.

Averaging their pay over twelve months, school bus drivers and classroom assistants are paid only £11.79 an hour; school cooks only £11.36; and special educational needs school bus escorts £11.17—significantly less than the current national minimum wage of £11.44.

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, expressed her ongoing support for the school support staff.

“If you average what these term-time workers are paid over 12 months, some receive less than the bare legal minimum. These workers are not paid by a gangmaster or dodgy fly-by-night boss; they are public sector workers. This is an unacceptable situation that is resulting in a recruitment and retention crisis and mounting pressures on the workforce.

“Disgracefully, the failure of politicians in Stormont and Westminster has left school support staff with no alternative but to return to the picket line to secure the six-year overdue pay and grading review. They can count on the continued support of Unite in their fight to win the pay and grade improvement that they are promised.”

Alan Perry, GMB Senior Organiser, said, “GMB members employed across the education authority in non-teaching roles are angry and frustrated.

”They have simply had enough; they’ve yet to be acknowledged for their job roles, despite the Education Authority agreeing the business case for the pay and grading review dating back to 2018.

“Our members will not be used as political pawns by the NI Executive; it’s time to pay them what they are worth.

“Failure to do so will result in further industrial action.”