Teacher unions split on pay proposals
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TEACHER union leaders last night split on the public service pay and reform proposals.
The executive of the 15,000-strong Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) dramatically rejected the deal hammered out in Croke Park.
But the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) will urge its 30,000 members to accept it, in a postal ballot to be conducted after Easter.
The draft deal is certain to ignite lively debates at next week's teacher union conferences with moves expected to draw cross-union support for a rejection.
The 18,500 Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland won't decide its approach until after its annual conference next week.
The executive of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, which has 2,100 members, will meet within the next 10 days to decide its position.
Setback
The TUI decision is a major setback for the Government and other public service union leaders who are promoting the "pay for change" agreement.
The TUI executive stopped short of endorsing a more hardline proposal -- not to put the deal to a ballot of members. However, the union leadership said it would recommend rejection of the draft deal at next week's conference
The Croke Park proposals guarantee no further public service pay cuts for four years, but the reversal of the pension levy and recent pay cut is not certain, and may only be restored in return for major reform.
- Katherine Donnelly
Irish Independent
