School strikes: Majority of NI teachers to walk out for half a day

Teachers in Northern Ireland will go on a half-day strike on Tuesday 21 February in a dispute over pay.

The strike means many teachers will stay off work as a protest.

The biggest teachers' unions say they will strike from midnight until midday on Tuesday, which means that most schools are expected to be closed for the morning.

These will be the first strikes by teachers in Northern Ireland for more than five years.

Why are the teacher strikes in Northern Ireland happening?

A strike is when a group of workers decide to stop working to try to bring about change.

Employees do this when they want to protest against something they think is unfair where they work, like pay or working conditions.

There are four teacher unions involved with the strikes, NASUWT, INTO, UTU, NEU.

The NASUWT is calling for 12% increased in pay, to help with the cost of living crisis, which ministers and councils have said they can't afford.

In February 2022 unions rejected a pay offer from employers for the years 2021-2023 calling it "inadequate".

Teachers who are union members are already taking action short of strike in Northern Ireland's schools - doing things like not attending meetings or doing some paperwork.

The Education Authority sent guidance to all schools before the strike action. It will be up to each individual school whether they try to remain open or close for the morning.

Parents and carers should speak to their child's school directly to check.

What about the rest of the UK?

There have already been strikes across other parts of the UK, with more set to take place. In England more than half of schools closed or partially closed on 1 February.

The NEU have scheduled more strikes in England and Wales, including on 15 and 16 March.

In Scotland, the EIS union will hold 20 more strike days between 13 March and 21 April.