Northern Ireland school strikes: GMB education workers vote to accept Stormont pay offer

The union said today that "mass education strikes could be at an end" after its members accepted the deal.

More than 3,000 GMB members, including classroom assistants, drivers, bus escorts, catering staff, cleaning staff, administrative, building supervisors have taken several days of industrial action already in a dispute over pay and grading.

Education workers in NIPSA and Unison had also joined the strikers on the picket lines.

However today, Wednesday, 83% of them voted to accept the new pay and grading proposal from the Northern Ireland Executive.

The union says the Executive has now committed a financial package to implement Stage one of the proposal.

GMB will now wait for the results of other unions' ballots., with NIPSA and UNITE education workers also considered the same offer after repeated strikes.

Jim Donley, GMB Organiser, said: "If this deal is implemented, it will put an end to the long running industrial dispute.

"GMB members should be rightly proud of the part they played in bringing this offer about through their industrial action across the summer.

"If implemented, this deal will mean so much to a low paid, predominantly women workforce."

Last month Education Minister Paul Givan described the proposal as a "significant step forward in getting a resolution".

His proposal includes the regrading of staff, backdated to 1 April, and a one-off lump sum payment of £2,500 to every member of staff, coming in the next financial year.

The pay deal was contingent on funding being approved and secured.

The re-grading of staff would cost the Northern Ireland Executive £52m and was to be funded through the June monitoring round.