Work-to-rule teachers are warned wages will be cut
TEACHERS face a formal warning that their pay could be cut if they go ahead with threatened disruption in second-level schools in the new term.
Second-level unions have told their members to withdraw co-operation on a range of fronts, including parent-teacher meetings and staff meetings after school hours.
But the Department of Education has already warned unions that the State has "bought and paid for" such concessions and teachers cannot lightly walk away.
In a marked escalation of tensions over education cuts, second-level teachers are also being instructed to refuse to teach classes over a certain size.
There was a low-key response from Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe yesterday. He was said to be "disappointed" about the threatened action.
He expressed concern that "at a time of real difficulty for the country, a union would direct its members, under threat of disciplinary action, to frustrate the efforts of schools to deliver from within their resources the best possible education to our children".
Solidarity
He urged teacher unions "to work with us in a spirit of cooperation and in solidarity with those people, including many parents, who have lost their jobs in this recession".
However, it is understood that the department, which raised its concerns with the unions before the summer, is preparing to issue a formal notice to unions that their actions amount to a breach of agreements for which they have already been paid.
The department will raise the matter at the September meeting of the Teachers Conciliation Council, which handles industrial relations matters in the education sector, or earlier, in a letter before the meeting.
Pay rises under the sustaining progress/benchmarking deal were linked to agreement on three parent-teacher meetings per year, running until 6.45pm to accommodate working parents, and staff meetings outside of school hours .
Clive Byrne, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, said last night that it had sought clarification from the department about teacher obligations under previous agreements.
"We don't want to be caught in the middle. We need clarification about how to proceed," he said.
Both the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland and the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) have issued directives over class sizes, but the TUI has taken a harder line, with clear directions to members about refusing to teach large classes.
Irish Vocational Education Association general secretary Michael Moriarty said: "This salvo from the TUI is a real indication that attitudes are hardening.
"While the directive may have been in existence heretofore, it is the force of the directive with strict guidelines for implementation which is of particular concern to school management. We hope schools will not become a battleground," said Mr Moriarty, calling for open communication involving all parties concerned. TUI general secretary Peter McMenamin said teachers were not being instructed to "walk out of classes" or to leave students unattended.
"This would be wrong, unprofessional and irresponsible. The union is adopting a highly responsible course of action designed to protect the education quality.
"TUI members will not allow the educational standards in their individual classes to be compromised."
- Katherine Donnelly
