Local teachers struggling to afford commute amid further NISTR problems

A County Derry representative has said teachers are having to weigh up the cost of travelling to work as problems with pay continue to affect local substitute teachers.

Last month, the Northern Ireland Substitute Teachers Register (NISTR) were besieged with problems as hundreds of teachers experienced issues with receiving their pay.

Now East Derry's Aontú representative Gemma Brolly has said the issues are continuing to affect substitute teachers, and has hit out at a 'cart before the horse' approach taken by NISTR.

“11 weeks into the academic year and still we substitute teachers have not been paid their full, or in some cases any wages,” she told the County Derry Post.

“I wrote to the Minister of Education almost one month ago, demanding our substitute teachers be respected and their wages made available as a matter of urgency.

East Derry Aontú rep Gemma Brolly has again highlighted the plight faced by local substitute teachers due to lack of pay.

“While emergency payments were issued to some, it appears not all. Just this week, a young teacher contacted me. This teacher travels a considerable distance to school each day.

“She has received no wages from the Department of Education since September 1. Nothing. She has constantly contacted NISTR and the department via telephone call and email, and still nothing.

“The day I spoke to this teacher, was the day she found herself so emotionally and financially stretched, she could not travel to school in the complete darkness of whether she will receive any wage at all next week, on the run up to Christmas.”

Mrs Brolly has criticised the Department of Education's handling of the changes to the NISTR system, and highlighted the contrast between the plight of teachers and Stormont's MLAs.

“This is absolutely disgusting. On one hand we have MLAs, such as our Education Minister who have not completed their full days work as an MLA but receive their full wages,” she said.

Substitute teachers deserve ‘respect and security’ says local rep

“Yet on the other we have teachers such as this, who are now into their third working month with £0.00 to show.

“Teachers who stayed home and committed to their education system, when they could (like many) have headed off with the guarantee of higher wages and respect.

“I have written to the Minister - and NISTR - again to address this crisis and release teacher’s outstanding wages as a priority.

“While I welcome the recently released ‘NISTR School Training Sessions’ I find it extremely disappointing that ‘NISTR School Training Sessions’ are now being held two and a half months after the new NISTR system began.

“Surely there should have been training previous to the changeover. As of yet, we have no confirmation if this teacher will receive her first wage of this academic year.

“This cannot continue. If the Minister and the department continue in this travesty, we will have no teachers left.”