Classroom assistants in Northern Ireland have begun further industrial action in a dispute over pay.
The three-day strike follows a rejection by union members of a new pay offer to compensate for a change in the way salaries are calculated.
This long running industrial dispute dates back to 1995 and focuses on the pay and grading of 7,000 classroom assistants who work mainly in primary schools across Northern Ireland.
Many of the assistants work alongside teachers in special needs schools. The three-day strike action by the trade union NIPSA will lead to the closure of those schools, as it may be judged too high a risk for children with special needs to attend without their assistant being present.
NIPSA has threatened to undertake an all out strike from next Monday if their demands are not met.
