N Ireland fight against cuts
WORKERS, JUNE 2005 ISSUE
Friday 13 May — unlucky for Peter Hain, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Barry Gardiner, Education Secretary, as thousands of non-teaching staff struck in Northern Ireland against education cuts. Spearheaded by UNISON and NIPSA (the Northern Ireland Public Services Alliance), with support from the TGWU, schools and libraries were closed and pickets were out across Northern Ireland, with rallies and marches in every major centre. A further ballot was under way on more extended action if the government fails to restore the cuts.
Classroom assistants picketing the entrance to the South Eastern Education and Library Board headquarters on the outskirts of Belfast on 13 May. They were delighted at the support they received from members of the public and other workers. Many of the councillors sitting on the Education and Library Boards have resigned in protest against the budget cuts — an estimated £100 million over the next three years. The newly appointed Minister for Education in Northern Ireland, Angela Smith, was already on the defensive when interviewed on Radio Ulster on the day of the widely supported strike. Ten out of the eleven special schools in Belfast were closed on the day of the strike. Smith was asked why the £5 million could not be found to prevent cuts in special educational needs classroom assistants and other measures which would damage the education of children. She ended the interview by promising to look at the problems again and see if money could be found!
