29th September 2022
“The letter issued on behalf of the Management Side of the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee on September 27th, to all schools appears at odds with the Chairperson of Management Sides’ stated objective of arriving quickly at a mutually acceptable resolution of the teachers’ pay dispute”.
Gerry Murphy, INTO Northern Secretary and Chairperson of both the Northern Ireland Teachers Council and the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee, said:
“There are several flaws in the advice provided to school leaders in Appendix 1 of the same letter. The frequently asked questions and the answers provided to school leaders appear to be designed only to create further division across the system. Insufficient thought appears to have been given by Management Side to the impact on existing industrial relations in schools and the wider education sector.
It is apparent from the timing of the release of the letter and appendix that this is a thinly veiled attempt to influence the outcome of the ongoing ballots for industrial action being undertaken by teachers’ trade unions.
Management Side are deluded if they think threatening teachers’ pay and seeking to subvert the balloting process will in any way enhance their chances of swiftly resolving the dispute in a manner acceptable to everyone. This clumsy and inept attempt to influence teachers and their representatives will serve only to strengthen teachers’ resolve to win a fair and just pay increase.”