People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has condemned the Education Minister's upcoming bill as a cynical attempt to bundle necessary reform with a punitive attack on teachers' rights to take lawful industrial action.
Carroll, who brought a No Confidence motion in Minister Paul Givan last year following his disgraceful trip to Israel, says the bill confirms what he has long argued - that Givan is fundamentally hostile to the teaching profession.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow's Stormont debate, Carroll said:
"This bill is a Trojan horse. Religious education needs reform - the Supreme Court has been clear on that, and schools deserve urgent clarity. But Givan has deliberately used that necessity as cover for something far more sinister: a provision designed to punish teachers for taking industrial action."
"Stormont has underfunded education for years. Schools are in debt, buildings are crumbling, SEN is in crisis, and teachers are dealing with workloads that this Assembly's own independent review has described as unmanageable. Instead of breaking that cycle and investing in the profession, Givan wants to muzzle teachers who dare to challenge his agenda."
"Teachers don't want to strike. They want to do what they do every day - educate the next generation. But they've been doing that with one hand tied behind their back for too long. When teachers take industrial action, they're doing it on behalf of their whole school community. They're saying enough is enough to a Stormont establishment that wants education on the cheap."
"That's exactly what Paul Givan is afraid of and it's why he's making this vindictive move. And that's why I will oppose him tomorrow, and in the weeks and months ahead."