REPRESENTATIVES OF the four teaching unions met yesterday to discuss the pension levy for public sector workers and the Government’s handling of the economic crisis.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), who represent over 50,000 teachers, met to co-ordinate their opposition to the levy.
The TUI, INTO and ASTI are balloting their members on industrial action. The IFUT’s executive council is due to meet later this week to discuss whether to seek a mandate for industrial action.
ASTI spokeswoman Gemma Tuffy said teachers feel they are unfairly targeted. “The Government approach is very unfair. Teachers feel they’re singling out one group and not spreading the burden fairly,” she said.
TUI president Don Ryan said his members were “extremely angry” about the levy. “We will be examining what duties our members will stop doing in protest at the levy,” he said.