NARPO comments on teacher’s strike

NARPO think that yesterday’s teacher’s strike and in particular the Government reaction to it, is a further kick in the teeth to the Police Service. In their reaction to the strike Government ministers were at pains to point out that the teachers were striking in an effort to increase the level of their proposed pay award despite the fact that the award had been arrived at by an independent pay review body. The Government accepted the pay body’s proposals and argued that the independent findings should be accepted by all sides.

NARPO feel that this is in direct contrast to the attitude of the Government to the decision of the independent police arbitration tribunal, where they have not implemented a similar pay award for the police. The difference in the Government’s attitude to these two independent pay awards is stark and will be seen by many as both inconsistent and unacceptable.

David Anderton the President of NARPO said ‘ Whilst Government can be selective in the way they accept or reject independently arrived at pay awards for key workers in the public sector, no public sector worker can have faith in their pay negotiating mechanism. At the moment it appears that Government are accepting those awards with which they agree and rejecting others. This can neither be fair or right.’