Principals threaten action over pay

Principals want pay rise given to classroom teachers

School principals and vice principals in Northern Ireland have voted to ban all co-operation with a range of education bodies in protest at a failure to award them pay rises.

The National Union of Head Teachers said they had also voted to ban all communication with the bodies.

The union said the decision to work to rule meant the schools' heads will only work the same hours as classroom teachers, because they feel they are not getting paid for their management role.

Vice principals in particular are angry because senior teachers were given an extra £2,000 a year salary increase to reward their expertise.

Salary

The union said many of the vice principals were now earning less than senior teachers in the same school.

The school heads have said they will refuse to communicate or work with the Department of Education, the education and library boards, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, (which pays the threshold £2,000).

The union said the only exception would be communications which had a direct impact on pupils or staff monthly salary returns for teachers and ancillary staff.