TUI decides not to go ahead with strike to allow meaningful engagement

By piofficer, Friday, 12th February 2016 | 0 comments

The Executive Committee of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) this afternoon decided not to go ahead with a day’s strike action planned for February 24th. The decision follows contact between the Minister for Education and Skills and the union.  

In a national ballot, TUI members in the second level and further/adult education sectors voted by a margin of 89% to engage in a campaign of industrial action to secure resolution to crisis issues.

Speaking this evening, TUI President Gerry Quinn said:

‘TUI announced last week that members at second level and in the further/adult education sectors would be taking strike action on February 24th unless meaningful engagement was to take place. Following correspondence from the Minister, and understanding the Minister to be acting in good faith, we are now satisfied that such engagement is possible.’

‘As a sign of our good faith, the Executive Committee of the union today decided not to hold our planned strike action in order to allow engagement in the hope of developing viable solutions to a range of crisis issues.’

‘However, we have a very strong mandate from members to activate strike action at a later stage should it become apparent that sufficient progress is not being made.’

‘Of key concern to TUI members are the precarious employment status and income poverty of new and recent entrants to the profession and the continuing, damaging effects of underfunding and understaffing on the service provided to students across all the sectors in which the union has members.’

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