Thousands of non-teaching staff in Northern Ireland schools have gone on strike in protest of low pay, with one classroom assistant stating that he has to work three jobs to pay his bills. The strike has been called by four of the largest unions in an escalating dispute over wages and is expected to affect hundreds of schools. The strike action has led to classroom assistants, bus drivers, catering staff, and cleaners walking out, among other support workers.
The Northern Irish Department of Education (DE) has said that it cannot afford to increase wages on its current budget and will require additional funding to do so. It is currently working with the Education Authority (EA) to find a resolution. The authority has warned that significant disruption is expected due to the strike action, with up to 20,000 participants expected.
At St John the Baptist Primary in Belfast, classroom assistants Eamon McQuillan and Maria Rogan have been taking part in the strike. Mr McQuillan has been working two other jobs in addition to his classroom job in order to make ends meet, saying that he requires the extra income to pay for “day-to-day costs” such as food and mobile phone bills. Meanwhile, Ms Rogan stated that she feels her work deserves better pay.
Some parents have voiced their support for the striking staff, with Lynsey O’Donnell praising the contribution of classroom assistants in keeping her children in school. St John the Baptist’s principal, Chris Donnelly, added that non-teaching staff members were crucial to ensuring the school’s success and that the entire school community was behind their action
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