The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) today announced that its members in Education and Training Boards (ETBs) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a national ballot over unacceptable unilateral changes that increase workload, change the established practices and depart from the terms of collective agreements.
Members voted by a margin of 94% to take industrial action as directed by the Union’s Executive Committee.
The TUI has over 11,500 members in the sector.
The union said that as always, it is prepared to resolve the issues of concern through active negotiation but, should that not prove possible, it stands equally prepared to take effective, escalating industrial action.
Speaking today, TUI President David Waters said:
‘The overwhelming mandate given to the Union by our members in ETBs for industrial action, up to and including strike action, shows the depth of feeling on the unilateral changes that certain managements have sought to impose across the sector.
These impositions increase the workload of our members, change established policies and depart from Department instructions and our collective agreements. Associated with this trend has been a disregard for established procedures and negotiated terms and conditions and in some cases, a failure to consult and engage meaningfully with the TUI.
For example, in some workplaces this is resulting in the issuing of unagreed contracts, failure to implement the Supervision and Substitution circular letters correctly and non-consultation with staff in relation to ‘Croke Park’ calendars etc.
The TUI is committed to protecting the conditions and terms of employment and the ballot results make clear that, if required, our members are more than willing to engage in industrial action to do so.
While issues are not as pronounced in some ETBs as they are in others, there is an evidential link between the ETBs who do not have meaningful consultation locally with the TUI with the ETBs who are in breach of circular letters and collective agreements.
Our members respect and uphold the collective agreements and circular letters that govern their terms of employment. It is completely unacceptable that this is not always reciprocated.
The TUI will liaise directly with ETBI to seek a forum to discuss the issues of concern and will seek the assistance of the Department of Education/DFHERIS in this regard.
As always, we are prepared to resolve the issues of concern through active negotiation but, should that not prove possible, we stand equally prepared to take effective, escalating industrial action as directed by the Union’s Executive Committee.’