Boylan calls for solidarity with striking teachers: 'We need to support them'

Councillor Janice Boylan is urging parents to support upcoming teacher and SNA strikes, citing government pay failures and her personal experience as the mother of a child with additional needs

Add to preferred sources News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 12:48, 09 Oct 2026 Updated 12:48, 09 Oct 2026 View Image Sinn Féin Councillor for North Inner City Janice Boylan (Image: Robbie Kane)

For Councillor Janice Boylan, supporting teachers and SNAs right to strike isn’t just a political stance - it’s a necessary action to protect children and workers.

Following a period of work-to-rule action, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) have confirmed plans to strike on Wednesday, October 14 and Wednesday, October 21. The North Inner City representative and mother of three took to social media to voice her support for teachers and SNAs campaigning to resolve an ongoing public sector pay dispute.

“They have every right to do this because of the lack of support that this government is giving them. They were promised a different approach. Promised a different pay deal and they haven’t received any of those promises,” Cllr Boylan stated.

INTO’s industrial action began on Monday in the form of work-to-rule, meaning members strictly follow only the exact duties, hours, and rules written in their official contracts and forgo all the extra, voluntary, or out-of-hours tasks teachers and SNAs so often do. Unions have accused the Government of failing to make meaningful commitments on pay following the expiration of the last public sector pay deal.

Cllr Boylan said she “strongly supports” industrial action and strikes and called on parents in particular to continue supporting teachers and SNAs. Coming in the midst of a cost of living crisis, she stressed that educators are “human beings” and deserve to have their pay dispute resolved in a satisfactory manner.

“It is very important we stick together. What will happen if we don’t stick together is a divide and conquer strategy and we don't want that to happen. We should be supporting everybody in this cost of living crisis ,” she said.

The O'Devaney Gardens native said strikes will enviably inconvenience parents and highlighted how the action will affect her ability to attend college classes, as she is currently studying for a degree in Politics, Society & Media. “I am not taking that as an ‘Oh my God, this is terrible’. I am taking this as a consequence to an action that needs to be taken and I want to stress that I fully and thoroughly support teachers and SNAs.”

Cllr Boylan outlined the incredible benefit of teachers who go the extra mile and the impact that early school opening and afterhours classes have on working parents. “Don’t forget how important these people are to us - they are educators of our children and they are people who treat our children exactly the way we would treat them. We need to support them in what they are asking for from this government.”

In a separate social media video, Cllr Boylan explained the challenges of being a parent to a child with additional needs and the impact education can have on a child’s well being and development. She spoke about her son, who is currently in fourth class and diagnosed with ADHD, ADD, dyspraxia, and RSD (Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria).

Cllr Boylan said she had to overcome strong anxiety as she worried about her son’s education and ability to read amid a multitude of neurodiverse conditions. “It was really tough to sit with. No matter what we did, no matter the interventions, I genuinely thought they weren’t working,” she said.

But, things did improve, and by the time her son was in second class she said it was like “a light bulb went on” and he discovered a love of reading and now he truly enjoys series like Diary of Wimpy Kid, Dog Man, and Cat Kid. She wished to express how proud she is of her son, and highlighted the power of education while celebrating children’s drive to learn.

“My heart goes out to all parents, siblings, and grandparents who have a super-duper brilliant child with additional needs,” she said.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), and The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) have all supported industrial action. ASTI General Secretary Linda Kelly stating in a message that Budget 2027 would not resolve the current pay dispute.

“The provision of €1.2bn in Budget 2027 does not suggest the Government is prepared to negotiate a deal that teachers could consider credible in current circumstances. Wages fell behind prices by 5% as a result of the peak inflationary period between 2021 and 2025 and have fallen further behind in 2026.,” she said.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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