John Trueman, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, responds to the news that the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC) has rejected the 5.5% pay offer.
“In Northern Ireland we are fortunate to have a highly skilled teaching workforce and we believe that teachers, including school leaders, should be paid fairly for the exceptional job they do every day. Whilst it is obviously disappointing that agreement has not been reached at this point, ASCL remains hopeful that a settlement can be agreed going forward in the best interests of the workforce and the young people they teach. We support the other unions' right to engage in industrial action and agree that workload, including that of senior leaders, must be addressed as a priority. We would therefore urge Minister Givan, the Department of Education and the NITC to work together to reach a resolution so that we can continue with the positive progress that has been made in our schools since the beginning of this academic year.”