Lecturers at Derry's NWRC on one day strike

Lecturers at Derry's North West Regional College have held a one day strike as part of their ongoing campaign of industrial action. Following an earlier week long strike, University and College Union (UCU) have been striking one day a week.

Joining the picket line, Derry City and Strabane District councillor, Shaun Harkin (People Before Profit) said: “Staff at the North West Regional College and at all the Further Education colleges deliver a vital service. They deserve to be properly paid and respected for what they do.

“Intransigence by employers and Stormont officials is hurting college staff and the education of students. Instead of listening to staff concerns and demands, employers cynically threatened redundancies during the strike.

 “When you take on board more than a decade of enforced pay cuts and spiralling cost of living pressures, the demands being made for better pay are modest. Employers and Department for the Economy representatives need to understand staff and UCU branch resolve is extremely strong.

“There is widespread discontent at the Tories, Stormont and companies posting record profits for savage cuts and low pay. This is a battle over how wealth is distributed and more and more groups of workers are entering the field. People Before Profit stand fully with strikers and encourage a large solidarity turnout for the NWRC picket line on Friday 20 October."