“proposal to ballot classroom assistants does not mean we have changed our view..”

Interesting development in the classroom assistants’ dispute ahead of tomorrow’s meeting between the employers and the unions representing the classroom assistants, and following a series of meetings today [pdf file] of the NIPSA representatives, a BBC report notes that NIPSA have stated that they will be balloting their members again on the offered terms and conditions. Although

[NIPSA] said it was balloting members because employers had claimed there was overwhelming support for their offer… “The proposal to ballot classroom assistants does not mean we have changed our view on the employers’ offer,” Deputy General Secretary Brian Campfield said.

It’s also reported that

He said if the education boards “responded positively” and “stepped back” from any attempt to impose the offer the union would consult urgently with classroom assistants about suspension of the current strike action campaign.

Update At today’s meeting [Friday]

Unions representing classroom assistants in Northern Ireland have agreed to take the pay packages offered by the education boards. NIPSA which was outvoted at a key meeting this morning remains unhappy with the deal. It has yet to decide whether to continue with planned industrial action. It only took half an hour for the union delegates to accept by a small majority the deal offered by the education boards to classroom assistants.