SDLP Education Spokesperson Daniel McCrossan MLA has backed calls from teaching union NASUWT to remove the exemption of teachers from fair employment legislation.

Commenting, the West Tyrone MLA said:

“There is significant cross-party support to remove this outdated exemption, evidenced by the widespread support in the recent Assembly debate.

“I am aware from my own experience in a controlled school in Strabane that this exemption would do no harm to Catholic education and there is no evidence that removing this exemption would in any way affect the ethos of a school or the values of our pupils or teachers. It is long past time that this exemption was removed and teachers were afforded access to the full scope of equality legislation that they deserve.

The logjam to delivering this change seems to lie squarely with the Executive Office. Although this will not come as a surprise to many who have grown accustomed to the Joint First Ministers stymieing progress in this place with broken politics, it is not acceptable that their failure to deliver this change means that teachers are being denied protection from equality legislation”.