To ask the Minister of Education for an update on his engagement with teaching unions following the recent ballots in favour of taking industrial action.

Mr Givan

I am not directly involved in the engagement with teaching unions, following the recent ballots in favour of taking industrial action. There has been substantial engagement by my officials and the management representatives on the Teachers' Negotiating Committee (TNC) with the five recognised teaching trade unions through the Labour Relations Agency, and further negotiation meetings are scheduled throughout September. I am, however, very closely involved in and informed about those discussions. Significant progress has been made to date through negotiations to resolve issues that the unions have raised regarding the teacher workload action plan, which was published on 28 April 2026, and further meetings between the management side and the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC) are scheduled to reach a resolution on those outstanding issues this week.

Mr Givan

The Member rightly raises those issues of concern. I recognised them when I came into this role over two years ago. As part of the outworkings of a pay settlement, I commissioned the independent review to identify the issues, and it made 27 recommendations. I set about an implementation process to take that forward. As part of that process, trade unions have been working through that. We have had agreement with them on many areas, but it is an ongoing process. We need to get to the point at which we can implement the action plan to address the workload-related issues.

As long as we continue to talk about the issues, we will delay the ability to get on with working through the challenges. Doing so would have a positive impact.

Trade unions and management side are scheduled to meet the Labour Relations Agency this week. I asked for that to happen in an attempt to find some reconciliation in the process. I welcome the engagement with the trade unions and the fact that they have not taken immediate industrial action but have continued to make space to find a positive resolution. I hope that we will be able to reach that point.

Mr Sheehan

The teachers engaged with the Minister's workload review. They then responded to the so-called action plan. They have now voted overwhelmingly for industrial action. When will the Minister accept that the problem is not that teachers have not made their views clear but rather that he is not listening to them?

Mr Givan

It is quite the opposite. I am listening. That is why I have acted. I commissioned the independent panel that identified the 27 recommendations. I approved the departmental response by way of the action plan to implement the changes that are needed. I engaged constructively with the trade unions, whose executive bodies have been supportive of the way in which we will take the matter forward. The ballot was held when the engagement with the Labour Relations Agency had not taken place. That is an ongoing process, and it needs to be given the opportunity to reach its conclusion. We will then go about implementing the changes. Nobody should be advocating industrial action in our education system. Nobody should be advocating action short of strike. All of that creates instability in our school settings. I therefore trust that all Members will encourage a positive resolution to be reached rather than move people to the point of engaging in strike action. I am determined to avoid that happening. I believe that the leaders of the trade union bodies are in the same place. Let us see whether we can get that outcome.

Mr Wilson

Minister, what percentage of teachers voted in the recent ballot for action?

Mr Givan

Four of the five union bodies provided the figures. There was a wide range. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation had a turnout of fewer than half its members, at 46%; the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) had a turnout of 64%; the Ulster Teachers' Union had a turnout of 37%; and NASUWT had a turnout of 55%. Those were the turnout figures. People obviously voted in different ways. The ballot took place during the summer in order to encourage teachers to participate. Let us hope that, as the unions reflect on their members' concerns and we engage with management side, as we are doing, we will reach a positive outcome at the end of the process. That is what we all want.