Union in legal threat to Lewsley

Teachers at the school are protesting

The union representing 25 teachers on strike at Movilla High School is seeking legal advice about comments made by the children's commissioner.

Commissioner Patricia Lewsley described the NASUWT action as an "abuse of children's rights".

The dispute arose after teachers' pay was docked when they refused to teach a pupil they claim assaulted one of them.

The NASUWT said they had instructed solicitors to seek advice on pursuing an official complaint.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said Ms Lewsley had made "scurrilous and ill-informed allegations against the NASUWT".

"Her intervention has made an already difficult situation worse," she said.

"We are now awaiting the advice of our legal representatives on the remedies available to us to challenge these allegations."

Talks to resolve the issue are not expected to resume until Wednesday.

Mrs Lewsley said her offer to mediate had been turned down by the unions.

"They have been in negotiations and I think that there is the possibility of a resolution if they were prepared to sit down and talk about it," she said.

The South Eastern Education and Library Board said it deeply regretted that no resolution had been found to the dispute at the County Down school.

The teachers at the 540-pupil school in Newtownards have been striking since Monday, 13 October.

Talks at the Labour Relations Agency late last week failed to resolve the situation.

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