Success for ASCL following five-year legal battle

ASCL is delighted to report that it has won a five-year battle for a member in Northern Ireland.

In 2003, the Northern Ireland secretary, Bill Wallace, took up the case of a member who was denied the salary progression that was his entitlement in a growing and successful school. After three appearances at employment tribunals and a visit to the county court in autumn 2007, the member was awarded the arrears of salary that were his due.

Bill worked with O'Reilly Stewart, the solicitors that ASCL has retained in Northern Ireland to ensure that members there have ready access to local legal expertise, and they showed great persistence and a capacity to master the intricacies of the teachers' salary scheme that proved vital in the final settlement.

Five years of legal action does not come cheap, but the fact that ASCL was prepared to see the case through to its conclusion is proof, if indeed any were needed, that the association will provide support for all members regardless of location.