UNIVERSITY lecturers are refusing to co-operate with the Croke Park agreement in a dispute over what they claim are compulsory redundancies at Trinity College Dublin.
The national executive of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) has voted to instruct all its branches to defer negotiations on productivity concessions under the agreement, pending resolution of the dispute.
Mike Jennings, the union’s general secretary, said that “last year IFUT members, with considerable reluctance, voted to endorse the Croke Park deal following detailed clarifications from the Department of Education as to how its provisions would apply in the university sector.
“One of the core guarantees given to us was that, in return for major extra productivity from our members, there would be no compulsory job losses. This guarantee has been reneged upon.
“Two lecturers in TCD with long service have been made redundant and a long-serving member of the library staff has also been issued with notice of dismissal,” he said.
The Croke Park deal promises no pay cuts and no redundancies until 2014 in return for reform and modernisation measures across the public service.
Mr Jennings said his members had agreed massive productivity concessions resulting in third-level colleges having the highest number of students ever.
“At the same time we have now far fewer staff to teach them.”
He accused TCD of breaking the deal in spectacular fashion.
