Braniel Primary teachers to be balloted over 'adverse management'

The ballot over strike action or action short of strike is due to open on Wednesday 25 October

A teaching union is to ballot its members in an east Belfast primary school for strike action.

The NASUWT said the unusual move is due to what it called "adverse management practices" at Braniel Primary School.

As Braniel is a controlled primary, the Education Authority (EA) is in charge of the school.

A spokesperson for the EA said it had been "engaging with the school and the union" and was "seeking a resolution".

Braniel is a large primary in east Belfast with about 400 pupils.

The NASUWT represents 12 teachers in the school, which is a majority of the teaching staff.

The union has written to school principal Diane Dawson, chair of governors Vivienne McCoy and EA chief executive Sara Long informing them of the ballot for industrial action.

The union said it was holding the ballot due to a "dispute over adverse management practices affecting the working conditions of members".

The ballot will open on Wednesday 25 October and teachers will be asked if they are prepared to take part in strike action or industrial action short of strike.

While five teaching unions in Northern Ireland took joint strike action over pay and workload in April, it is highly unusual for teachers in an individual school to be balloted for industrial action.

No alternative

The NASUWT is one of the biggest teaching unions in Northern Ireland.

Its national official for Northern Ireland Justin McCamphill said that the union had been "left with no alternative" to the ballot.

"The Education Authority now need to enter into a proper engagement with the NASUWT to resolve the adverse management practices and to ensure that the contractual rights of teachers are fully upheld in Braniel Primary School," he said.

Justin McCamphill, from NASUWT, said the union had been "inundated" by teachers in "extreme distress"

When contacted by BBC News NI a spokesperson for the EA said it was "aware of the concerns raised by NASUWT regarding Braniel Primary School and received notification on 17 October 2023 of its intention to ballot members for industrial action".

"We have been engaging with the school and the trade union regarding this and have been seeking to find a resolution," they said.

"We will continue to work with all parties to find a resolution and we remain committed to avoiding formal industrial action."