Glenveagh pupils taught at home as Unite strike continues

Staff on strike outside Glenveagh School in Belfast

Glenveagh Special school in Belfast is closed for a second day as a result of strike action by the union, Unite.

More than 2,000 members are protesting at a local government pay offer of 1.75%, which it calls a "real terms pay cut".

Some school transport, meals, council bin collections, leisure services and Housing Executive maintenance will be disrupted by the week-long action.

The union said it empathised with Glenveagh parents and pupils.

But it said its members in councils, the Education Authority and the Housing Executive had expressed overwhelming support for strike action.

Special schools are particularly affected by the unavailability of Education Authority transport as they rely heavily on the so-called "yellow buses".

However, only one of 39 special schools - Glenveagh - has said it cannot offer pupils face-to-face teaching "due to lack of staffing".

Unite workers are on strike in a dispute over pay

Glenveagh says most of its classroom assistants are on strike.

Kieran Ellison of Unite - one of the largest public sector unions - told Good Morning Ulster on Tuesday that the decision not to grant exemptions was "a collective one".

"I stand by our members' decision," he said.

"They are literally on their knees by how they have been treated and undervalued by the Education Authority and the administration for education."

He said workers had "suffered from a regime of austerity" and felt "outraged" at the pay offer as well as other issues that need to be resolved.

Earlier, Séamus Flannigan whose son, Eoin, is a pupil at Glenveagh, appealed for a compromise from Unite members.

"I don't think anybody would have any issues with the reasons that the workers have for the strike," he told Good Morning Ulster.

"I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to go ahead."

Mr Flannigan said these were not mainstream children who could carry on their learning at home.

"We're talking about the most vulnerable in society who have suffered immensely during the pandemic.

"The special schools always seem to be hit harder when something happens.

"Some exemptions should be given to allow a school to be able to provide for those very vulnerable kids who suffer greatly when they can't go in."

Meanwhile, Karen Grace, the owner of Gwynne's Café which is inside council-owned Brooke Park in Londonderry, said the council rang her last week to say that the strike could affect her business.

"We haven't had any information from the unions at all," she told BBC Radio Foyle.

"We have just come off the winter and there is no way I can afford to be closed at this time of the year."

Council to meet unions

Meanwhile, Derry City and Strabane District Council says it hopes to meet trade unions to discuss what can be resolved locally.

"Derry City and Strabane District Council has not been directly involved in the UK-level negotiations," a council spokeswoman said.

"Following this week's strike action it is the intention of council to set up these meetings as soon as possible with all of the unions representing employees of Derry City and Strabane District Council to discuss those aspects of local government - employee pay and conditions - which can be considered at local council level".

Gareth Scott of Unite said he welcomed the opportunity to meet the council.

"We haven't had the invite yet but I look forward to receiving it," he told BBC Radio Foyle.

"Employers have had the opportunity, plenty of opportunity to try and get a proper deal done with a fair and reasonable pay increase," he said.

On Monday, the Education Authority said that about 100 out of more than 2,000 EA bus routes had been affected by strike action but that pupils from special schools had been most affected.