Labour agency for classroom talks

Employers of classroom assistants have agreed to allow talks in the dispute over pay and re-grading to go to the mediation body.

Meanwhile, children at Glenveagh Special School in south Belfast have been able to attend classes for the first time since the strike began.

Pupils went home on Thursday when bus drivers would not cross picket lines.

More than a dozen buses turned back and the chief executive of the Belfast Education and Library Board said it was highly regrettable that children did not get to school.

It was reported that drivers were told teachers would take the children beyond the picket line but that was later considered unsafe, so the children were sent home.

Staff at the school are not on strike, but it has been closed during the industrial action because it shares an entrance with two other schools which are affected.

Three thousand members of Nipsa are staging an indefinite strike over job re-grading.

The idea of going to the LRA was ruled out earlier this week by the Department of Education and the education and library boards, who said it was "too soon to intervene".

Now they say they are responding to the favourable reaction of unions to the idea and will allow talks to take place.

It is understood that the talks will not just cover clarification of a deal currently on the table. However, so far the terms of the talks have not been formally spelt out.

One of the unions, Unison, has confirmed it will take part in them.

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