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| Schools to close as 3,000 strike | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Thouands of classroom assistants are on strike in an escalation of their dispute over re-grading. | Thouands of classroom assistants are on strike in an escalation of their dispute over re-grading. |
| Some special schools are expected to close as 3,000 assistants, members of Nipsa, begin a three-day strike. | |
| On Friday, the unions were offered a new deal which included a £15m one-off payment to compensate for a change in the way salaries are calculated. | On Friday, the unions were offered a new deal which included a £15m one-off payment to compensate for a change in the way salaries are calculated. |
| Unions say that could mean £2,500 for each assistant. However, Nipsa said the offer did not go far enough. | Unions say that could mean £2,500 for each assistant. However, Nipsa said the offer did not go far enough. |
| Special schools will be hardest hit. Many of them may have to close as it is too risky for pupils with special needs to attend without their assistants. | Special schools will be hardest hit. Many of them may have to close as it is too risky for pupils with special needs to attend without their assistants. |
| Many mainstream schools have told parents whose children have assistants allocated to them, to keep them at home. | Many mainstream schools have told parents whose children have assistants allocated to them, to keep them at home. |
| An all-out strike by Nipsa is planned from next Monday unless a settlement is agreed. | An all-out strike by Nipsa is planned from next Monday unless a settlement is agreed. |
| The other main union, Unison, was to have held a ballot on strike action. | The other main union, Unison, was to have held a ballot on strike action. |
| However, after meeting representatives they have suspended the ballot. | |
| We hope that the powers that be get together and resolve this Frank BuntingINTO | |
| Frank Bunting, from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), said teachers needed to stand behind the classroom assistants and understand their difficulties. | |
| The problem was "intractable", he said. | |
| "Nipsa has been a strong union for many years, it is a democratic union, locally based, with a tremendous amount of accountability. I have enormous regard for them. | |
| "It is going to be very difficult in schools for teachers and principals trying to manage this sensitive situation. We hope that the powers that be get together and resolve this." |