UTU BEGINS ROLLING AND ESCALATING INDUSTRIAL ACTION FROM DECEMBER 1

The Ulster Teachers’ Union has agreed an escalating programme of industrial action from Thursday (December 1), following its ballot on action against government cuts.

Although its members will not be striking on Wednesday (November 30) a recent union ballot returned an overwhelming mandate (80%) in favour of action short of strike from Thursday.

This will take the form, initially, of non co-operation with school inspections.

In a recent UTU ballot, the margin needed for strike action fell just 6% short of the two-thirds majority required.

The UTU’s Central Executive Committee has issued members with guidelines for conduct on November 30, including support of striking colleagues and a donation of all or part of that day’s salary to charity.

“We are advising members that if their school is operating, they should only teach their own class and not undertake any duties being left undone by a member of another union taking action on that day,” said Avril Hall Callaghan, General Secretary of the UTU, Northern Ireland’s only locally-based teaching union.

“It is particularly important that they should not accept any additional pupils into their class, nor should they supervise groups of pupils that they would not normally supervise on that day.

“If members turn up to work and find that there is a demonstration at the school gate they should come in to work as normal.

“At lunchtime we’d like to see as many members as is possible and feasible within the time-frame, attending a local ICTU rally or some kind of event to mark the day.

“We would hope our colleagues who are taking industrial action understand our members’ situation and the fact that, given the results of our ballot, it would be illegal for them to strike.

“However, we will be commencing action short of strike action from December 1. We are as committed to fighting for pensions as the other public sector unions – we will simply be carrying on that fight by taking action in a different way. Some of the teaching unions taking strike action on Wednesday have no mandate for action beyond that one day.

“The CEC has agreed on a rolling programme of action which will escalate if insufficient progress has been made. The first phase of that action will commence on December 1, and take the form of non co-operation with school inspectors.”