Teachers take to the picket line for the first time in six years

Two brothers, who are both teachers, have told UTV they believe there will be more industrial action from teaching unions and other public sector workers in the weeks to come.

Mark Short is in special education teacher and his brother Gary Short is a secondary school teacher.

They entertained large crowds of public sector workers from a stage erected at Belfast City Hall singing and playing guitar on Tuesday.

"We just felt it was important to show our support of what's going on here today," said Mark.

"Teachers, our colleagues who are out here striking today, as well as then the various other unions that are coming today to show their solidarity with what's going on here. Wages at public sector have been underfunded for years," he added.

His brother Gary hit out at the cuts imposed by the Conservative government and the lack of an executive: "There is certainly a lot of feeling, a lot of strong feeling here.

"People are struggling so much with the fact that the cost of living is increasing, the fact that wages are falling. The fact that people are here is telling them we need funding for our services.'"

"We want to do our jobs properly. Nobody would choose to be on strike today, but they want to send a message that we want to speak about this like this. The last thing we want to do is strike as teachers. Our pupils aren't in class. So we want to get back talking. But if this isn't resolved there will be more strikes," he added.

UTV understands the majority of schools - more than 1,100 - across Northern Ireland were forced to close their doors during the half day strike - in the first industrial action from teaching unions in six years.

The parents UTV spoke to were largely supportive of the action of their children's teachers despite the disruption to schooling although some thought Monday would have been better timing after the half-term break.

Education management said negotiations on pay are active but they are framed with unprecedented and growing pressure within the education sector.

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