NI teachers on strike 18 Jan 2024 NASUWT and UTU
Husband wife Stephen and Jennifer Hawthorne in Dromore explain why they are on strike. NASUWT and UTU.
Transcript
00:00 Speaking to Stephen and Jennifer Hawthorne here at Dremore High School.
00:07 Stephen you're a technology teacher here at Dremore High School, you're also a member
00:10 of the NASUWT, you're the local rep.
00:14 That's right, yes.
00:15 And Jennifer, you're with the UTU.
00:17 Yes I am, I'm a primary school teacher.
00:20 Primary school teacher from Banbridge.
00:23 Just tell me Stephen, your thoughts about the money that was put on the table there
00:27 by the Secretary of State before Christmas?
00:30 Yes well it was a cart dangled before us and we did think there was a glimmer of hope to
00:36 get this situation resolved and some money was offered and then the Secretary of State
00:41 has said it won't be released until the Stormont executive is restored.
00:44 So it's almost as if teachers are being used as leverage to try and encourage Stormont
00:49 to be back again.
00:51 So it's disappointing and I think we're looking now as if it might be some time before
00:56 this situation is actually solved.
00:59 And you were both talking about the difficulties there in recruitment and retention of teachers
01:03 at the moment.
01:04 Jennifer, can you give me a little bit of info, what's that like in your circles, particularly
01:08 difficult with classroom assistants?
01:10 Yes, we're finding it very difficult to get enough classroom assistants to support and
01:17 to help our pupils.
01:18 It's a very challenging job, they're working with children with complex needs but it's
01:23 a vital job and yet they are being underpaid and would make a much better rate if they
01:29 worked at Tesco's or McDonald's so it is very hard.
01:35 So the wage competition from retail is in your perception keeping a lot of them out
01:41 of classroom assistant roles?
01:42 It is and they deserve a pay rise, they work very hard and are vital in primary school
01:48 situations.
01:49 And Stephen, you're seeing difficulties with recruitment and retention as well?
01:52 Yes, it is.
01:53 There are vacancies in teaching positions in schools right across Northern Ireland.
02:00 The young people just aren't coming into the profession the way they were because they're
02:02 seeing other jobs, other professions being more lucrative.
02:05 They're also moving across to other parts of the UK and to the rest of Ireland where
02:10 the jobs or rates of teachers pay is much better there.
02:13 We need parity of pay with teachers in these other parts of Ireland and the UK.