Peter Weir calls on NASUWT to suspend strike action

The education minister has called for a teacher's union to suspend strike action.

Members of the NASUWT at schools in Belfast and Newtownabbey are due to stage a one-day strike on 30 November over pay, jobs and workload.

Peter Weir told the assembly that the strike will be "detrimental" to pupils and union members.

However, People Before Profit MLA Eamonn McCann said teachers were "defending the public service".

Mr Weir also claimed the teaching unions had initially sought an annual pay rise of 8.23%, including increments, before reducing their demands to 3%.

He warned the assembly that there was no more money in the education budget to increase pay to teachers.

"If faced with the choice between additional pay or additional redundancies, I want to keep people in jobs," he said.

"I would appeal to any of the unions to suspend any industrial action, to try to have discussions in relation to this."

He also said that the management side of the Teachers' Negotiating Committee (TNC) had asked the five teaching unions to suspend their industrial action and hold more talks.

Later, in response to a question from SDLP MLA Colin McGrath, Mr Weir accused some of the unions of putting forward "fantasy figures" on pay.

However, People Before Profit MLA Eamonn McCann said teachers were giving a "good example".

He urged the minister and other MLAs to join him alongside teachers on picket lines on 30 November.

In response, Mr Weir accused Mr McCann of engaging in "fantasy politics".

Last month, 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.

The NASUWT is one of the largest teaching unions in Northern Ireland, and is going on strike for the first time since 2011.

While schools in Belfast and Newtownabbey will be the first to be affected, the union said that its members in other areas will then take similar action in January and February 2017.

It is expected that there will be a significant impact in over 100 schools on 30 November, and some may be forced to close.

The other teaching unions are currently engaged in industrial action short of a strike.