The Ulster Unionist Party’s attempt to repeal the law which allows discrimination in teacher recruitment on the grounds of religion, has been blocked by a Petition of Concern tabled by the Nationalist Parties at Stormont.  

Speaking just ahead of a debate on amendments to the Employment Bill, Ulster Unionist education spokesperson Sandra Overend said:

“The Ulster Unionist Party has long been committed to repealing Article 71 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order, which allows teacher recruitment to be exempted from normal fair employment rules. Our amendments due for debate this evening at the Further Consideration Stage of the Employment Bill would, if voted through, repeal Article 71 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998, known as the ‘teacher exception’.

“The continuation of this exception which dates back 40 years to the original drafting of Fair Employment legislation means that the 17,000 teachers working in schools in Northern Ireland are not protected in employment law against discrimination on the grounds of religious belief.

“It is quite unbelievable that Nationalist Parties, who never tire of shouting about equality and civil rights, are vetoing an attempt to end this license to discriminate through the device of a Petition of Concern.

“This is happening at the same time as a Shared Education Bill is passing through the Assembly.  How on earth can we have Shared Education when the teaching workforce is kept effectively segregated, facilitated by a 40 year old loophole in Fair Employment legislation?   

“The Minister of Education and the First and deputy First Ministers have failed to deal with this issue for years now.   In the dying weeks of the current Assembly it is a shame and disgrace that Nationalist Parties are blocking a move to break down an unnecessary barrier in education.”