Education strikes Northern Ireland: Mother of child with additional needs says thousands filled with 'angst' due to disruption

The Newtownabbey mother of a child with additional needs says thousands like her will be filled with "angst" this week due to three days of strikes by education workers.

Sarah Martin was speaking to the News Letter as thousands of school support staff across Northern Ireland are going on strike, with the warning that further action will follow if a resolution to their concerns over pay and grading is not found.

Workers such as bus drivers, classroom assistants, cleaning and canteen staff will be on strike for part of this week, with two further days of action planned for June.

Stormont’s Department of Education has said the strikes will have a “significant detrimental impact” on children.

Sarah Martin from Newtownabbey says that her son, Ethan, aged 4, depends heavily on regular routine and his behaviour becomes very challenging when he cannot get to Hill Croft Special School.

Unite and Nipsa members will strike from Monday to Wednesday this week, while GMB members will strike on Monday and Tuesday. All three unions will strike on 3 and 4 June.

Sarah says that her son Ethan, aged 4, depends heavily on a regular routine at Hill Croft Special School.

During a previous day of strike action, he had at least four "meltdowns".

This week she is so grateful that her school is managing to stay open.

Northern Ireland's biggest strike in around 50 years took place in January. Tens of thousands of public sector staff took part, including educational support workers. An estimated 170,000 workers with 15 trade unions took part. Photo: Press Eye.

"Obviously I can understand why they are striking, but I can feel the angst amongst the parents who are being impacted," Sarah said.

While one day without school will break routine for children with additional needs, nine weeks of summer without school can be exceptionally challenging, she said.

"So to have the strikes now with summer so close is just terrible."

Almost 30,000 pupils in NI are recognised as having special needs.

"I was talking to one mother this morning who was in complete despair because her child is having a bad day," she said. "She would normally expect a break when he goes to school this week but she knows that will not happen this week."

Unions say many educational support staff are paid less than minimum wage.

A department of Education spokesperson said: “The minister bid for the £180 million that would be required to implement the pay and grading review, but given the numerous other competing pressures, the Executive did not have the funding required, so they agreed that the Minister of Finance (Caoimhe Archibald) should seek approval from HM Treasury to bring forward funding from future years to enable implementation.”

Nipsa deputy general secretary, Patrick Mulholland, said: “Education workers feel betrayed and insulted by the failure of the Northern Ireland Assembly to address the pay and grading review issues. Workers in education have been pushed into poverty and urgently need these issues addressed."

Meanwhile, last week patients were warned that the NI health service will experience “widespread disruption” when junior doctors have a two-day strike this week.

The Department of Health warning came ahead of the first of two planned 48-hour walkouts by junior doctors, which will start at 7am on Wednesday. The second strike is on 6-8 June.

The action was called after 97.6% of junior doctors balloted by The British Medical Association voted to strike.

The BMA has called for a commitment to a full pay restoration to 2008 levels, claiming that junior doctors have seen their salaries effectively eroded by 30% over the last 15 years due to a failure to make pay awards in line with inflation.