The mood of the conference was angry and resentful over what teachers see as departmental inertia on a wide range of issues, writes Mark Rodden
A dark cloud hung over Ben Bulben mountain in Bundoran on Tuesday as the TUI congress began at the Great Northern Hotel.
In many ways it proved a portent of things to come as angry union delegates representing both secondary and third-level interests arrived in a business-like mood.
TUI members are frustrated by a lack of resources available to special needs and international students, disgruntled by the lack of action on class sizes and are furious about the national pay agreements.
While the other teacher unions seem relatively happy with Mary Hanafin's tenure as Minister for Education, the TUI was extremely critical of her and the Government over the course of the congress.
Members feel that while she has done more than her predecessors on the issue of discipline in schools, she has failed to deliver in other key areas.
Ms Hanafin was met with a cool enough reception when she addressed the union on Wednesday. Her address included few of the traditional Easter offerings that teachers' unions tend to receive, and the general feeling among delegates was that it was uninspiring and somewhat lacking in substance.
TUI president Tim O'Meara's forceful riposte to the Minister, in which he criticised inaction on special needs and the limited roll-out of the behavioural support service, was received with a standing ovation.
A particular source of frustration for the union is the Minister's stance on the issue of schools who "cherry-pick students to avoid taking on those with special needs or behavioural difficulties. On Wednesday, she again condemned the practice but said it would be difficult to sanction those schools that engage in the practice. The TUI will, it seems, await the outcome of the department's ongoing audit of enrolment policies in schools with keen interest.
A number of animated debates took place on Wednesday morning as members discussed the issue of pay and conditions. In some cases the anger was channelled at the TUI's executive.
Currently, changes in conditions of service in return for pay increases are voted on by all Irish Congress of Trade Union members, but TUI members think they should be determined by individual unions.
There was concern among a sizeable minority of delegates that the union may have to leave the Irish Congress of Trade Unions if this situation persists.
In a heated debate, some members of the executive were visibly taken aback by the level of negative sentiment directed at them.
Given the anger and resentment from the floor, it was no surprise that the TUI unanimously backed the nurses' strike, and a minority of delegates even hinted that a similar hard-line approach could be adopted by the TUI in the future. Whatever the outcome of the elections, that attitude is something that the next minister for education would do well to be aware of.