TUI survey of Non-Standard FE Employment - deadline extended

By TUI, Thursday, 16th March 2017 | 0 comments

*** Please note - deadline extended to Tuesday, 28th March 2017***

TUI has developed on online survey instrument for members employed by Education and Training Boards, teaching in the non-mainstream Further Education Sector.

The online link has been emailed to ETB Branch Chairs, ETB Branch Secretaries, Further Education Advisory Council (FEAC) Representatives and Area Representatives.

We would be most grateful for your assistance in:

  1. identifying members in your Branch to whom the survey applies and disseminating the online link to the survey to such members.
  2. encouraging members to fill in the survey as soon as possible  - but by no later than Tuesday, 28th March and
  3. seeking to maximise the response rate to the survey.

We request that one Officer of your Branch and your Branch’s Representative to the FEAC lead and oversee this process. Branch Representatives to the Council were briefed on the survey at a meeting of the Council on 15th February last, and are requested to address any queries which may arise in respect of the survey. If (unforeseen) matters of clarification arise, your Branch Representative to the FEAC is requested to contact this office, by email to: dglynn@tui.ie.

Your Branch’s FEAC Representative and the Officer designated to lead with the survey may decide to convene a meeting of members to whom the survey applies, provide a briefing on the survey and encourage members to fill in the online survey. Please note, however, that hard copies of the survey will not be accepted because of the difficulty which pertains to collation and tabulation of responses.

Please note that members in your Branch may need your assistance in encouraging colleagues in HR and/or Salary/Payroll departments in ETBs to provide them with their personal employment information for the purposes of the survey – such, for example, as aggregate annual teaching hours and identifying the funding source of their teaching hours. Please note that members have an entitlement to be provided with such information.

Please find set out below Guidelines for Respondents.

We would be grateful if you would email all members for whom the survey is intended.

Finally, please forward to Ms. Colette McGinley (at cmcginley@tui.ie), the name and contact details of your Branch FEAC Representative and the Branch Officer you nominate to assist with the survey.

 

Guidelines for Respondents

 

What is the aim of the survey?
To gather information and data on the pay and terms of employment of members teaching in the non-mainstream Further Education sector who do not benefit from post-primary teachers’ pay and conditions of service – commonly, members on hourly pay rates.

To what end will the information be used?
The information is essential to TUI for forthcoming discussions under the aegis of the Workplace Relations Commission in respect of members in non-teaching posts in the Adult, Community and Further Education settings. The information will be used to inform and strengthen the Union’s negotiating position on their behalf.


What is the purpose of the discussions?
There are two phases to the discussions. The first phase concerns the establishment of an agreed formula or method of awarding CIDs across ETBs to include:

(i) CIDs to be awarded to all staff entitled to them

(ii)CID contracts to have a mutuality of obligation on both parties and therefore set out a minimum number of hours per person holding the CID i.e. not a “zero hours” CID.

The second phase of the discussions entails:

  • The establishment of a common, sector-wide incremental salary scale and terms of employment for adult education tutors
  • Demarcation between “Tutor” and Teacher posts (at designated QQI levels, and by programme/course offered)
  • Access to leave schemes and paid leave (for example: maternity leave and paid sick leave [including, for example, paid self-certified leave and Temporary Rehabilitation Remuneration])
  • Access to the appropriate public sector pension scheme.

 

How does the survey relate to the discussions?
The survey has been designed to gather the information the Union needs for the discussions. For example, the questions relating to members’ pattern of employment are aimed at gathering data for the purposes of the establishment of an agreed formula for the awarding of CIDs. Similarly, the questions in the survey relating to the programmes/courses on which members teach and the QQI level at which members teach is essential to inform the Union’s position in respect of demarcation between teacher and non-teacher posts.

Who is requested to fill in the survey?
The survey is for TUI members only. However, a teacher who is not currently in membership of TUI (or another union), who applies for membership of TUI, may fill in the survey.

The survey applies only to members who are teaching but who are not paid (for all/any of their hours) on the Teachers’ Pay Scale and/or do not have the terms of employment of post-primary teachers. Such members are frequently designated as “Tutors”.

The survey is not meant for members whose work is not teaching.

The survey is not meant for members who are in posts to which agreed salary scales and terms of employment apply. For example, the survey should not be given to members in the following posts:

  • Post-primary/Further Education College teacher
  • VTOS Coordinators and teachers
  • Teachers in Prison Education Units
  • Adult Education Organisers
  • Adult Literacy Organisers
  • Community Education Facilitators
  • Youthreach Coordinators, Resource Persons and Teachers
  • Adult Education Guidance Counsellors.

The survey should be given to members who are paid as post-primary teachers in respect of some of their teaching hours, but not paid as post-primary teachers for other of their teaching hours. For example, if a member is paid as a teacher in respect of his/her teaching on VTOS-funded courses, but has additional hours teaching on BTEI-funded courses (which are not paid at qualified post-primary teacher rates), such a member is requested to fill in the survey.

Certain ETBs have, without the approval of the parties to the Teachers’ Conciliation, established posts with various new titles – such as “Resource Tutor” (outside Youthreach), “Adult Education Resource Tutor”, “Development Officer”, “Quality Assurance Officer” “Literacy Coordinator” etc. In many cases, ETBs have applied the Youthreach Resource Persons scale and terms of employment to such posts. The survey should be given to members in such posts.

To whom will members’ personal information be given?

To no-one. Members’ personal and employment information will be treated with the strictest confidence and will not be disclosed to anyone. 

Is there anything in particular in the survey to which members’ attention should be drawn?

Yes, as follows:

  • Self-financed, evening/night (hobby-type) course hours are excluded from the survey
  • It is essential that members’ respond to all questions in the survey
  • Members may source much of the information for the survey from their pay slips. If members do not have access to information required, they should immediately request ETB HR or Salary Departments for assistance. Members are entitled to access to this information
  • Members should be encourage immediately to gather the information they need before filling in the survey i.e. teaching hours per year (Question 51 or 52)
  • The Branch Representative to the Further Education Advisory Council should, in the first instance, deal with queries in respect of the survey

Can hard copies of the survey be forwarded to TUI Head Office?
No. The online Survey Monkey format facilitates ease of collation of responses and tabulation of results.

How can I access the survey?
Please contact your Branch Chair, Branch Secretary, Branch Representative to the FEAC or Area Representative for the online link.

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