Northern Ireland teachers' strike latest: We have no choice, say four unions

Four unions representing the majority of teachers are due to stage a half-day strike on February 21 in a dispute over pay.

The teaching unions are calling for a "fully funded pay increase of 12%".

Justin McCamphill NASUWT National Official said: “We have been left with no choice but to take strike action as a result of the failure of the education employers to offer any improvement on the miserly two year proposal made last February.”

Gerry Murphy, INTO Northern Secretary said: “Teachers have been backed into a corner by an absent government at Stormont and a series of incompetent ones at Westminster. Like workers across the public and private sectors they are the victims of a decade of wage stagnation resulting in a decline in their living standards.”

Jacquie White, General Secretary of the Ulster Teachers Union (UTU) said: “This is an unprecedented move by the UTU and it is a reflection of the strength of feeling of our members in the face of the derisory offers made to date that we will be joining with our colleagues across the teaching unions in this half day of strike action.”

Mark Langhammer, Regional Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) said: “In the ‘lost decade’ since Chancellor Osborne’s pay freeze in 2010-11 teachers have lost some 24% in real-terms – more than almost every other profession or trade group. The Government claims there is no money, that budgets are tight, that we’re being unrealistic. That’s untrue. It’s a matter of political choices.”