Teachers’ unions threaten to ballot members on ‘co-ordinated public service campaign’

Ireland’s three main teachers’ unions are threatening to ballot members on a “co-ordinated public service campaign” if their pay rise demands are not met within weeks.

The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) agreed on potential action on Friday in advance of the summer break ending.

In a joint statement issued to The Irish Times, all three unions said: “ASTI, INTO and TUI expect to begin preparations for September ballots of members on either a revised pay offer or on a co-ordinated public service campaign designed to achieve such an offer.”

The unions represent more than 80,000 teachers.

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Public sector pay talks are set to resume next month as unions signalled they were ramping up pressure on the Government to make an improved pay offer.

A combined 5 per cent salary hike over two years tabled earlier this year has been rejected by workers as “not credible”.

TUI general secretary Michael Gillespie said inflation had “spiralled in the months since the review clause of the current public service pay deal was triggered, so any proposed pay increases must appropriately address the resulting severe cost-of-living crisis that is affecting society”.

“It is expected that we will ballot TUI members in September on either a revised pay offer or on a co-ordinated public service campaign designed to achieve such an offer,” he added.

“For those teachers appointed since 2011, this cost-of-living crisis has been exacerbated by the pay discrimination that has seen them paid at a lower rate than their colleagues for carrying out the same work.

“Pay discrimination has also greatly contributed to a teacher recruitment and retention crisis in schools. The remaining elements of this pay discrimination must be resolved as a matter of urgency.”

Also on Friday, incoming ASTI president Miriam Duggan insisted pay increases “must be realistic if they are to counter the untenable rise in the cost of living”.

“The fact that inflation rose to 9.1 per cent in June makes significant pay rises a real priority for members who, like the rest of society, are trying to cope with the sustained price increases of energy, fuel, food and other essentials,” she said.

Increased education funding must also be addressed, Ms Duggan added.

“The OECD report Education at a Glance 2021 ranks Ireland in last place out of 36 countries for investment in second-level education,” she said.

“One consequence of this is large class sizes which limit student-teacher interaction and lead to increased work intensity and stress for teachers.

“At a time when teacher shortages are impacting second-level schools all over the country, it is essential that cost-of-living challenges are addressed and that the outstanding issue of unequal pay for younger teachers is put to bed once and for all.”

The INTO referred to the joint statement.

On Wednesday, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) invited Government and unions to return to discussions that stalled in June.

On the same day umbrella organisation the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) said a co-ordinated campaign on public service pay would include possible industrial action ballots.

Both sides are expected to return to talks in mid-August.