Armagh Branch AGM
10th November 2023
10th November 2023
10th November 2023
9th November 2023
We acknowledge that our sister unions must pursue their objectives in ways most appropriate to their members. The interests of INTO and our non-teaching trade unions are not dissimilar, and to be clear, the INTO supports their endeavours.
Our non-teaching education staff are essential and vital to the running of our schools. Indeed, our schools simply would not be able to function without them. All of our members have reported, over many years, difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff to the many essential non-teaching roles in schools. This is directly related to the value placed on them in terms of pay (they are generally the lowest paid workers in the education system) and terms and conditions.
Our children need all of these workers to be appropriately valued and remunerated for the absolutely essential roles that they fulfil. Therefore, we stand fully behind them in this dispute and will take no steps to undermine the veracity of their campaign
Use Your SIP/Educational Adviser
Your SIP (School Improvement Professional) and/or Educational Adviser has been appointed as your point of contact with your employing authority. It is their responsibility to advise you, so it is essential that you contact your SIP/Educational Adviser to discuss how to manage this in your specific circumstances.
Take no steps to undermine the efficacy of action.
Please bear in mind that this dispute is not your responsibility, and you have no capacity to resolve it.
Remember the following:
You must not specifically identify any member of staff who is striking or taking part in action short of strike. You must not express any judgement, nor make anyone feel uncomfortable about taking strike action (or refusing to do so)
The main purpose of the assessment is to consider:
Having undertaken a risk assessment, a decision must be made as to whether to close the school to pupils. Remember, this decision has to be made on the balance of risk. Any decision must be made on the basis of whether or not it is safe to remain fully or partially open.
Members should, therefore, exercise careful judgement and should liaise closely with their SIP/Educational Adviser.
[Salutation]
Day of strike action by non-teaching staff on 16 November
The Education Authority (EA) has warned of expected disruption to some school services as a result of industrial action notified by UNISON. This action will consist of action short of strike as well as a full day of strike action on 16 November 2023. I am writing to outline the expected impact on our school.
How will strike action affect [insert name of school]?
When a strike takes place, those taking strike action stop work and withdraw their labour.
A detailed risk assessment to determine whether it is possible to operate the school safely during the strike has been conducted that considers the impact that the action will have on the health and safety of pupils, staff and visitors, and whether the school can run a full or amended curriculum.
As the Principal, I [and the Board of Governors] have determined the following:
• • [outline of specific school arrangements]
Clearly, this is a difficult situation, which will cause disruption. I ask you, however, to be understanding. Strike action is very unusual and taking the step of strike action is not something that any member of the school staff undertakes lightly. Those on strike will have thought long and hard about their decision and will also lose pay for the period that they are on strike.
The staff in our school are invaluable to the learning, development and safeguarding of your children and I, along with the Board of Governors, feel strongly that they should be paid fairly for the essential and very challenging jobs that they do.
Yours, etc.
This will however impact their pay if they choose this course of action.
INTO would advise members to report to their work.
Picketing tends to take place at entrance and exit points of organisations to raise awareness of strike action, although there is no express statutory requirement that picketing must take place only at these locations. Trade unions are also allowed, subject to certain conditions, to organise and engage in lawful protest activity. This is different to picketing in that it may involve workers and other supporters who are engaging in campaign activity in support of the workers on strike.
Because you are not the employing authority, you do not have the right to refuse permission to picket at your school gates.
We recommend that discussions take place in advance of the day of action with your trade union representatives in order to agree, for example, where the picket can take place and whether pickets can enter school for refreshments/to use the toilets (INTO would recommend this is allowed as long as there are no safeguarding concerns in the context of the setting; for example, security of the site) and how the pickets will conduct themselves.
This proactive step will ensure that lawful industrial action can be taken while maintaining as much control in terms of the school site as possible.
If any concerns or difficulties arise on the day, these should be raised with the picket manager appointed by the striking unions.
It is reasonable for members, where their class is absent, to engage in personal planning, preparation and assessment or similar work of their own choosing. They should not be engaging in remote learning or the provision of work packs for at home. Where the class is present then normal teaching and learning activities should be undertaken.
INTO members should not take on tasks normally undertaken by non-teaching colleagues.
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