Support Gemma Brolly and Aontú with their petition to Stop MLAs Pay Rise.
MLAs are preparing to give themselves a 27% pay rise, justified by the “complexities of the job,” while the workers who hold this society together — teachers, nurses, classroom assistants, waste and environmental services workers — have never received more than a 3–5% increase.
Our SEND system is collapsing, early‑intervention services are being stripped back, 1:1 classroom support is being cut, school leavers with additional needs are being abandoned, and EA transport workers were forced into a 10% pay cut.
MLAs already receive extensive expenses and allowances — and if Stormont collapses again, they will still be paid, including this rise.
This is immoral, unjustifiable, and an insult to every worker and every vulnerable child.
We, the undersigned, call for:
- An immediate halt to the proposed 27% MLA pay rise.
- A full review of MLA expenses, allowances, and salary structures.
- A guarantee that no MLA pay increase will ever exceed the highest public sector pay award in any year.
- Urgent investment in SEND services, early intervention, and post‑school provision.
- A fair deal for public sector workers, whose pay has stagnated while workloads have soared.
- A government that honours its promises, not one that rewards itself while failing the people it serves.