Workload in Institutes of Technology ‘unsustainable’ - TUI

By piofficer, Friday, 30th March 2018 | 0 comments

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has warned that the workload of academic staff in the Institute of Technology sector has long since exceeded reasonable levels and is now completely unsustainable.

The Union is currently balloting its 4,000 members in the sector to seek a mandate to engage in a campaign of industrial action over this critical issue, which has led to significant levels of work-related stress among academic staff and an impaired service to students.

In addition, the Union has reiterated its call for the funding crisis in higher education to be tackled through the establishment of a dedicated levy on corporate profits.

TUI’s Annual Congress takes place in Wexford next week.

Speaking today, TUI President Joanne Irwin said:

‘The Institute of Technology sector has suffered devastating cuts to funding, which has had a severely damaging effect both on the working conditions of lecturers and the educational experience of a generation of students. Critically, the time that academic staff can provide to students has come under immense pressure, with significantly less opportunity to interact with individuals or small groups. This was previously a major strength of the Institute of Technology sector, benefitting students from diverse social, cultural and educational backgrounds.

At 16 hours (Lecturer) and 18 hours (Assistant Lecturer), the lecturing hours of staff have long been far above international norms. Moreover, each hour of lecturing requiring a multiple of hours for the associated preparation, reflection, assessment and feedback. 

To make matters worse, under successive national agreements, lecturers were required to ‘flex’ up by two lecturing hours above these already excessive norms. As a result of a negotiated agreement between TUI and the Department of Education and Skills in May 2016, one of these two hours was re-designated to other contractual duties from January 2017. Also as a result of the same agreement, a review of matters relevant to lecturing that was to have regard to the usage of the second hour for duties other than teaching was to be completed by March 2017.

Two years on, despite the consistent availability of TUI, this review has not been completed and re-designation of the second flex hour has not taken effect. We are therefore currently balloting members for industrial action. The key element of this action is that members will deliver no more than standard lecturing hours (16 or 18) from the next academic year.

This unsustainable workload, as well as diminishing the time for and quality of service to students, is causing high levels of stress among academic staff. To add insult to injury, those lecturers who entered the profession after 1st January 2011 are suffering pay discrimination.’

Funding crisis must be tackled 

Part of the background to these issues is the underfunding crisis at third level.

‘There remains a complete and incomprehensible absence of political will to deal with a funding crisis in the sector. As a result, students continue to suffer larger class sizes, sharp cuts to tutorial and student support provision and significantly curtailed access to essential facilities such as libraries and laboratories.’

‘TUI has consistently made the case for a 1% levy to be applied to corporate profits to generate a dedicated fund for higher education. As the corporate sector derives considerable benefit from Ireland’s graduate pool, such a levy would be wholly appropriate. It would have raised an additional €588m for the sector in 2016; broadly in line with what authoritative analysis indicates as being required.’

;