Unite Education Authority workers in work-to-rule in Northern Ireland

Unite the union members employed by Education Authority in Northern Ireland will commence a continuous work-to-rule from 00.01am on Monday, 23rd October. 

Unite the union’s membership concentrated in school bus transport, catering, admin, cleaning, classroom assistants and other school based members.

This is the first step in a planned escalation by education workers to secure the implementation of a promised pay & regrading review. The failure to make meaningful progress is a touchstone issue as the commitment to hold the exercise was the primary reason why industrial action by education workers in 2022 was called off.

Education support workers start industrial action in pursuit of pay justice

Education Authority managers claim the lack of progress is not of their making as they have repeatedly engaged with the Department of Education without any progress on the matter.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is simply unacceptable that the Department of Education continue to prevaricate in an attempt to avoid its responsibilities to deliver a pay and grading review.

“EA bosses and those in the Department of Education should be under no illusion – if they do not deliver their commitments for a pay and regrading review –workers will escalate their action. Management and particular the Department of Education need to address the workforce’s concerns to avoid further escalation.”

 Unite members returned a 96 per cent vote for industrial action, not including strike action; and a 94 per cent majority for industrial action, up to and including strike action.

The work-to-rule is timed to commence alongside that by GMB education members. Unison education workers have already commenced a work-to-rule and in coming days NIPSA members are likely to join the action.

This will mean that all non-teaching education unions are engaged in industrial action adding to the likelihood that it will have a significant impact.

Unite workplace reps have issued clear guidance about what undertakings unite members should refuse to do during the work-to-rule.

Unite regional officer Kieran Ellison said: “The industrial action involves workers withdrawing from goodwill tasks outside of their contract; working strictly to their job description and their contracted hours.

"Such is the level of reliance on the goodwill and voluntary actions of education workers, this action is likely to have a debilitating impact on schools.

“The Department of Education’s failure to meaningfully progress the pay and grading review has eroded goodwill among its employees. The Department of Education must progress the review to avoid further escalation – education workers are not going to allow themselves to be exploited anymore.”