NEU NI guidance on industrial action - withdrawal of co-operation from ETI
NEU members are strongly advised, until further notice, to withdraw co-operation from the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI).
NEU Northern Ireland has a staff of four Regional Officials campaigning to ensure that the Northern Ireland Assembly and education authorities provide the best for education professional and pupils in every educational institution in Northern Ireland.
Agreement on teachers' pay and conditions of service is reached through the Teachers' Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee (Schools) which comprises the employing authorities/employer representatives, the Department of Education (DE) and the five recognised teachers' unions NEU is one of the five unions that make up the Northern Ireland Teachers Council (NITC).
NI teachers’ pay dispute update - January 2020
The NI Executive and Assembly is now back up and running. We are in the process of taking account of the new Departmental Ministers emerging and the “New Deal, New Approach” settlement that have been accepted as the basis of a return to devolved Government.
With a new Education Minister, Peter Weir, in place, the tentative agreement made with education employers last June on teachers’ pay can now be progressed.
The immediate steps are:
- the Department of Finance approve the cost of settling the teachers pay deal, circa £70 million;
- the Department of Education and education employers make a formal offer to NEU and other teachers unions;
- NEU and other unions ballot members to determine whether the deal is acceptable. In the case of NEU, the ballot will be by electronic poll;
- during the balloting period there is likely to be a series of joint-union information sessions – effectively “Town-Hall” meetings – to explain the deal, as well as school-based meeting at schools with large NEU memberships;
- if the deal is accepted through ballot, industrial action will come to an end – at the point at which teachers are paid (not from the date of agreement).
Advice and guidance
We have revised, and reissued, our NEU industrial action advice for the 2019/2020 academic year which comprises:
- Industrial action guidance for 2019/2020;
- Specific guidance on non co-operation with inspections and the inspectorate; and
- Specific guidance on non co-operation with end of key stage assessment .
You will note that the guidance on school inspections, and the ETI inspectorate, has changed in response to potential and anticipated revised guidance being issued to inspectors (essentially in anticipation of a more invasive form of inspection during industrial action).
Advice
Advice 
NEU NI guidance on assessment industrial action
NEU considers that the DE/CCEA designed assessment process places an unreasonable workload on teachers. The arrangements encroach significantly into the teaching and learning time of pupils and teachers.
Advice 
NEU NI guidance on industrial action (short of strike)
NEU will continue industrial action in response to the Government’s derisory pay offer of zero per cent.
Training in Northern Ireland
NEU Northern Ireland is committed to helping members develop throughout their careers. Members can access a comprehensive range of continuing professional development (CPD) courses through NEU, most of which are free to all members.
News and events
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NEU Northern Ireland Newletters
The latest editions of newsletters for members in Northern Ireland including Reps bulletin and Frontline.
