Teachers' strikes: Into union members vote over 'insulting' pay offer

Four out of every five Into members who voted in the ballot backed strike action

Irish National Teachers' Organisation (Into) members have voted to begin a series of half-day strikes in schools.

It is one of the main teaching unions in Northern Ireland with about 7,000 members, and the first strike will take place on 18 January 2017.

It is the second teaching union whose members will strike over what they have called an "insulting" pay offer.

Education Minister Peter Weir said he was "disappointed" by the move and asked Into members to "reflect" on it.

In October, all teaching unions in Northern Ireland rejected an offer that would have seen their pay frozen last year and a rise of 1% for 2016-17.

'Settlement attempts fail'

Seamus Hanna, the chairman of the Into's northern committee, said the union had tried to avoid closing schools.

"Despite the sincerity of our efforts, all attempts to find a just settlement and avoid the closure of schools have now failed," he said.

"The Into is now directed by our members to engage in both half-day strike action and inaction short of strike, which will include non-co-operation with the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI)."

Four out of every five Into members who voted in a union ballot backed strike action, on a turnout of 40%.

'Needless bureaucracy'

Members of the NASUWT union in Belfast and Newtownabbey staged a one-day strike in November, which closed or partially closed about 70 schools in the area.

NASUWT members in other areas are to take similar action in January and February 2017.

Education Minister Peter Weir said strikes are 'not in the interests of children, schools or teachers'

However, members of another teaching union, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), have voted against stoppages.

Instead, they are to take industrial action short of a strike.

That also includes non-co-operation with school inspections by the ETI and "needless accountability, scrutiny, bureaucracy and administration".

'Pay won't improve'

Criticising both the Into and the ATL, Mr Weir said their decisions do not "sit easy with me".

"I would ask teaching unions to reflect on any planned disruption, as industrial action is not in the interests of children, schools or teachers themselves," the minister added.

"I would urge them to go back to the negotiating table for future years and to accept that the pay offer they walked away from is not in a position to be improved upon."

The BBC understands that the other main teaching union, the Ulster Teachers' Union, is also likely to vote for action short of a strike.

However, the final results of its ballot will not be known until early 2017.