Education Minister Caitríona Ruane has announced approval for a settlement in the long-running dispute over the job evaluation exercise for classroom assistants.

The exercise forms the last major part of the programme of job evaluations for all Board staff undertaken to ensure that jobs are graded in a consistent manner and that jobs of equal value receive equal pay.

The Department of Education has now given approval to the Education and Library Boards to make a final settlement offer to the Trade Unions.

Caitríona Ruane said: “I very much recognise the important role that classroom assistants perform, particularly in supporting our youngest school children and those with special educational needs to reach their full potential. It is important that their jobs are graded and remunerated correctly and I am glad the employers and unions have reached this stage of the negotiating process.

“I welcome the recent progress and am pleased that I can give approval to the Boards to make formal, final settlement offer to the Unions.”

Mrs Ruane, whose Department has made £30 million available to cover the costs of the settlement, concluded: “I sincerely hope that final agreement between the two sides can now be achieved quickly so that the substantial funding which my Department has already made available can be released into the pay packets of classroom assistants at the earliest possible date.”

(JM/SP)