Classroom Assistants Begin Strike action

[Jolly Red Giant]

Classroom Assistants - members of NIPSA - employed by the Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland began industrial action today against attempts to cut their wages. The pay cut was sanctioned by Sinn Fein's Catriona Ruane, Minister for Education in the Northern Assembly. The proposals involve a pay cut of up to 79p per hour (Wages in the region of £11,000 pa.). Classroom Assistants voted by 93% in favour of strike action.

The strike started today with a rally in Belfast and will escalate into an all-out dispute if not resolved by the first week of October. The strike will involve nearly 7,000 Classroom Assistants and over 1,000 schools across the North.

[Kate P]

Have you a link for this?

[Jolly Red Giant]

Have you a link for this?

http://www.nipsa.org.uk/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/n...nd/7012584.stm

[Supermanpolitician]

These are people too thick to become teachers, right?

[CookieMonster]

What is the role of a classroom assistant? Never had them in my day.

[Jolly Red Giant]

These are people too thick to become teachers, right?

Well the vast majority are significantly smarter than the FG frontbench - but then again that wouldn't be hard!

[Jolly Red Giant]

What is the role of a classroom assistant? Never had them in my day.

try here
http://www.vnc.org.uk/class/role2.htm

[rkeane]

These are people too thick to become teachers, right?

Well the vast majority are significantly smarter than the FG frontbench - but then again that wouldn't be hard!

[Kate P]

Thanks for that.

The negotiations, such as they were, seem to have been very strained. Although there is mention that the Boards are financially strapped, there seems to be little real justification for the nature of their attack on classroom assistants particularly.

Very strange behaviour. Strikes involving anything to do with teaching leave a very bad taste that lasts a lot longer than people think. Let's hope it gets cleared up soon.

[Kate P]

These are people too thick to become teachers, right?

that's an awful thing to say