have 'nothing left to give', union warns
(21 Apr 2010)
Ahead of a vigorous campaign against the public service proposals, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has warned that teachers have “nothing left to give” in terms of productivity and that the sector has already been “bled dry.”
The union also warned once again that only TUI members will decide on the acceptability of the proposals.
TUI will host seven regional seminars in the next fortnight to explain the basic provisions of the proposals and outline the reasoning behind the union’s opposition to them, and members will be balloted between May 6th and 20th.
Speaking today, TUI General Secretary Peter MacMenamin said:
“This ballot is the most important to be held in the history of the TUI.
We acknowledge the extreme difficulty in economic times and recognise that everybody has to share the pain and hardship needed to get out of this mire. To this end, teachers and lecturers have already taken an effective pay cut of 20% when the pension levy, pay cuts and unpaid increases are taken into effect. In addition to this, middle management structures have been decimated in the schools and staffing ratios cut in the Institutes of Technology, making day-to-day work increasingly difficult for every teacher and lecturer. The sector has been bled dry.
The feedback on the Croke Park proposals from our annual congress, executive committee, branches and individual members has been unanimous. These measures are simply unpalatable. The only sure thing in these proposals for our members is further uncertainty.
An undefined review and renegotiation of teacher and lecturer contracts at a time when the education service has been repeatedly asset stripped is a bridge too far for our members. Contrary to popular belief, many teachers and lecturers represented by TUI are not in permanent positions and only employed on a part time basis and are already struggling to make ends meet. And at a time when independent research shows that teachers are working for an average of up to 47 hours per week,[1] the additional hour requirement is being looked upon with undisguised disbelief.
It is also important to emphasise once again that TUI members alone will decide on the acceptability of the proposals. An aggregate vote of unions should not, cannot and will not be accepted.”