THE THREE teacher unions are poised to step up their campaign against cuts in education and pay after Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe received a cool reception from delegates at their annual conferences yesterday.
The unions will consider a series of emergency motions today, demanding a campaign of industrial action, as anger intensifies about the education cutbacks and the public service pension levy. Several dozen delegates at the INTO and the ASTI conferences walked out yesterday as Mr O’Keeffe rose to address them.
A plea by the Minister for solidarity was received at both conferences in silence. Mr O’Keeffe is expected to receive a similarly frosty response when he addresses delegates to the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) conference this morning.
The options under discussion by unions include industrial action, up to and including school closures as well as non co-operation with any modernisation measures.
While defending the Government’s measures, Mr O’Keeffe also signalled yesterday that a decision on the reintroduction of third-level fees might not be made until after the local and European elections in June. The Minister will circulate an options paper to his Cabinet colleagues on student charges within the next fortnight. Mr O’Keeffe said a final recommendation might not be made for several weeks.
The union conferences were dominated by references to the banking scandals and allegations of a “cosy’’ relationship between the Government and property speculators.
INTO general secretary John Carr received a standing ovation from delegates when he said the land of saints and scholars was sacrificing its scholars for its sinners. “Where once young children paid to see a cowboy film, now they pay for the cowboys,” he said. ASTI president Pat Hurley said teachers and their students were not responsible for the decline in public finances. Despite decades of under-funding, teachers continue to deliver a high-quality service to young people, he said.
Mr O’Keeffe acknowledged the impact of the cuts, but he asked ASTI delegates for co-operation during these difficult times. “We’ve faced great adversity in the past. When we pull together in any walk of life, we can really punch above our weight. That’s what we need to do now.’’
But Mr Carr said teachers who had no part in the country’s economic collapse bitterly resented “having their pockets picked” to bail out bankers, speculators and developers. As educationalists, he said teachers “totally oppose the Government forcing children to pay for the recklessness and greed of Ireland’s casino capitalists”.
The Minister also confirmed a new €80 million investment programme in schools. The Summer Works Scheme allows schools to complete small-scale repairs during the summer. A further €20 million for energy conservation projects would be provided as part of the initiative.