18th January 2024
INTO General Secretary John Boyle has today expressed his pride in the massive turnout of teachers across Northern Ireland who joined in today’s strike for fair pay.
Speaking as public sector workers in the North took to the picket lines, in one of the biggest strikes to take place in recent times, Mr Boyle said:
I am proud of the thousands of teachers who have stood up for themselves and their profession today. They have shown incredible solidarity in their determination to secure fair pay for the vital work they do in educating our children.
The future of any education system depends on us attracting and retaining talented teachers. The current pay freeze is making it impossible for us to do this. Teachers are being forced to move overseas to secure a decent standard of pay, leaving our schools facing a significant recruitment and retention challenge.
The INTO is calling for the immediate restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive to guarantee the resumption of a working government and the delivery of fair pay for all public servants. In the short term, the Secretary of State has the power to fund our public services and we reiterate our call for him to do so without delay.