DIVISIONS WITHIN the teacher unions have deepened after delegates from the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) unanimously rejected the public pay deal and vowed to act independently of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the other teacher unions if necessary.
The TUI motion also paves the way for possible industrial action by the union. Its forthcoming ballot, which will recommend rejection of the deal to its 15,000 members, will also spell out a range of possible industrial actions – up to and including strike action.
The Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) yesterday also voiced its “total and vehement opposition’’ to the public service pay and reform deal.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) is the only teaching union which is set to recommend acceptance of the deal to its members in a forthcoming ballot.
However, opinion is divided in the union, with INTO delegates yesterday narrowly voting down, by 308 to 304, a motion demanding that the proposed public service agreement be sent to a ballot of members with a recommendation to reject it.
Last week, the INTO executive backed the deal, but some delegates yesterday accused the union leadership of “jumping in” to support the pay deal, a charge rejected by INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan.
Yesterday’s developments make it more likely that the TUI and the ASTI will escalate their campaigns of industrial action.
The fate of the Croke Park deal now rests with the wider trade union movement. Support from Impact, Siptu and the INTO could be enough to see the deal endorsed by the Ictu public services committee.
But this could see the TUI and possibly the ASTI isolated from the other main public service unions.
In her first address to a teacher conference, Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills Mary Coughlan faced some heckles and booing from a minority of delegates at the INTO conference.
But she also moved to reassure teachers about the new deal which promised a review of the teaching contract. Asked about a possible threat to teachers’ working conditions she said: “I’m not taking out the machete to the teachers in the context of their contract and there should be no fear about that . . . We’re not going to say teachers have to teach during July and August.’’
Yesterday, the Ictu executive was strongly criticised by TUI president Don Ryan, who described union leadership as “arrogant” and “out of touch”. The Croke Park documents themselves, he said, “are not worthy of discussion”.
The 450 TUI delegates rose to their feet to applaud the president’s call for an outright rejection of the proposal. The TUI, regarded as the most militant teacher union, represents post-primary teachers and third-level teachers.
At the ASTI conference, president Joe Moran said some proposals in the deal were too vague and raised fears among teachers. But he also advised delegates to view the deal in context and consider the implications of further industrial action.
ASTI delegates will this morning debate an emergency motion that asks its executive to recommend the rejection of the agreement in a ballot of members.
The motion states the “total and vehement opposition” to the public service agreement. It urges delegates to call on the ASTI central executive committee to recommend the rejection of the agreement in a ballot of members.
The ASTI executive is due to meet on Friday when it will decide either to ballot members on the agreement, or, with a two-thirds majority, to reject the deal.
TUI general secretary Peter MacMenamin said his union was not supporting the transformation agenda across the public service. “The only transformation TUI wants to see is a transformation in the resources being allocated to education.”
Ms Coughlan is scheduled to address the TUI conference today.