The Executive Committee of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has decided to ballot those employed as Senior Lecturer 3 grade - also known as Heads of School/Faculty - in Munster Technological University (MTU) over the decision of management in the institution to unilaterally reassign the grade to new roles without agreement with TUI.
Each Head of School has been responsible for the line management of a number of departments within MTU and have now been reassigned to a new role entitled Vice Dean with different responsibilities. While MTU claim they will continue to observe the national contract, there is a clear move away from the core role as Head of School.
The TUI represents academic grades in the Technological University sector nationally.
While the number of members currently directly affected by reassignment in MTU is small, the TUI has said that it cannot allow a precedent where management take unilateral actions that have not been agreed with the Union.
Speaking today, Assistant General Secretary Colm Kelly said:
‘We have made every effort to engage meaningfully with both MTU and DFHERIS in relation to the unacceptable actions of management, which is acting completely beyond its authority in reassigning heads of schools to new roles and titles without agreement with the TUI.’
‘We have always said that there must be parity of esteem across the technological university (TU) sector and any regional variations in pay or conditions are completely unacceptable to us. It has always been the Union’s position that the grades represented by the TUI should share common terms, conditions, job specifications and agreed titles across all five Technological Universities and the Institutes of Technology.’
‘In 2017, TUI members at third level voted in a national ballot to accept a collective agreement concerning the establishment of TUs. Regrettably, DFHERIS and management are not adhering to the commitments of this collective agreement.’
‘The agreement provided for retention of the sector – previously the Institute of Technology sector and thenceforth the Technological University sector – and for prior meaningful communication, consultation and, where appropriate, negotiation with the TUI on relevant matters.’
‘Individual managements cannot be allowed to make up their own rules.’
‘While the number of members currently directly affected by this situation is small, it is utterly unacceptable and we cannot allow a precedent where management take unilateral actions that have not been agreed with employees and their union.’
‘The Union’s Executive Committee has been left with no option but to ballot those members in the SL3 grade for industrial action to protect their jobs.’
‘A further decision has also been taken to ballot all members of the Union in MTU in the near future to ensure the Union is prepared to protect members from any further unilateralism on the part of the University’s management.'