Derry non-teaching staff go on strike

Derry non-teaching school staff join thousands across the North on strike today for better pay and conditions.

Classroom assistants, maintenance staff, catering staff, bus drivers, and other support workers are demonstrating outside schools and elsewhere.

Members of Unison, Nipsa and GMB called the 24 hour action in an escalating dispute over pay.

Up to 20,000 are thought to be taking part in the action across the North.

Aine Hudson from Nipsa, who was striking at Derry Central Library, said many of the people on strike are not paid a liveable wage.

“People are struggling with the cost of living and the amount of money they're earning – it's not equating to a liveable wage, she said.

“The EA has been in negotiations as part of a pay and grading review and this has been recommended but it just hasn't been paid and so they are negotiating with the Department of Education. So the reason we were striking is to kind of raise the profile of this.

“There's people here, we're education welfare staff, so we work with children who are struggling in school or who aren't attending school. There's big issues to do with the amount of children who are out of school.

“Other staff here, classroom assistants, maintenance staff, who take care of the maintenance of the buildings. There is catering staff who feed the children in schools and transport staff as well. All of these people have all decided to take a stand because they can't live on the money that they earn.”

The Department of Education (DE) said it can’t afford a wage increase on its current budget. However, Officials said they would need extra funding to do so and were working with the Education Authority to try to resolve the matter.

The Education Authority said ‘significant disruption’ was expected to schools today regarding transport, school meals and cleaning services.

Gaelscoil Éadain Mhóir posted on Facebook today in support of their striking workers.

“Bheadh muid caillte gan na daoine iontacha seo agus gach ball foirne eile inár Scoil. Tá ár bpáistí ag brath orthu! Níl sé cothrom nach mbíonn siad íoctha mar a ba chóir,” they said.