McCrea warns of “impending disaster” in Classroom Assistants Dispute
Basil McCrea MLA, UUP Spokesman on Education warned today of the impending disaster of a Classroom Assistants
strike, and calls on the Minister for Education, Caitriona Ruane to take control of the situation.
“I am deeply concerned that the Minister for Education has refused to intervene in Classroom Assistant dispute.
Within a week, this vulnerable group of people, many of whom are women, will be forced to take a decision on
strike action. This potential disaster could and should, be averted by swift Ministerial action.”
Many Classroom Assistants are owed substantial amounts of back pay, but under the new arrangements not only will
they see this back pay slashed, but they will be forced to work longer hours, for less money. The situation is
so unfair, and potentially so serious that it is impossible to understand why the Minister of Education considers
it inappropriate for her to intervene.
The Classroom Assistants, I have spoken to, are angry and disappointed that despite the warm words of supported
from the Minister and the unanimous support of the Assembly little has been done to resolve the situation.
They are reluctant to strike, they worry about the impact on their family finances and they are acutely aware of
the impact that their actions will have on the schools, the parents and most importantly the children, but they
feel so let down, so used and abused, that many feel that strike action is the only way to resolve a situation
that is clearly unfair.
Classroom assistants are being picked on by faceless bureaucrats in a penny pinching attempt to save money. The
Minister for Education must get involved, if this were a “Foot and Mouth Emergency” the department would be
meeting now in emergency session. What is the point of having locally elected Ministers if they do not intervene
in when disaster threatens?
The Minister for Education cannot stand idly by, whilst people who do so much for our children and our society
are forced in to a corner. It is not fair on the Classroom Assistants, it is not fair on the children and for a
politician that champions equality at every opportunity, it is high time she lived up to her rhetoric.”