Wednesday, April 07, 2010
AS primary teachers narrowly backed their union leaders’ endorsement of the public service pay deal, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan yesterday promised she would not be "taking a machete" to teacher contracts.
The debate among INTO delegates on the controversial public service and reform deal was held in private as emotions ran high over the proposals, which would require an extra hour’s work per week and greater availability for supervision and substitution.
There is also rising concern that the proposed review of teachers’ contracts from primary to third-level could give the Department of Education a carte-blanche to change their terms and conditions, as well as weaken pensions for future entrants to the profession.
A motion to recommend rejection of the deal signed off by union leaders and the Government a week ago was rejected by just four votes – 308 to 304 – meaning the union executive’s decision to urge acceptance still stands. The INTO’s 32,000 members in the Republic will be balloted on the proposals in the coming weeks but a series of branch meetings will discuss it in further detail before a vote takes place.
A concern expressed by many delegates centres around a clause allowing for a major review of teachers’ contracts, but Ms Coughlan said it is not planned to place huge impositions on teachers.
"I’d like to say that I’m not taking out the machete to the teachers in the context of their contract and there should be no fear about that," the Education Minister told reporters.
"I think everyone realises the changes that need to take place, but we’re not going to say teachers have to teach during July and August in case in case anyone thinks that is the situation," she said.
However, she gave a clear indication that further cuts to education services are likely again in next December’s budget.
"I am not saying that it is possible to shelter education completely from any further adjustments. For me to do so would be dishonest, given that the bulk of public expenditure is accounted for by health, education and welfare," she told delegates.
INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan, who was one of the key negotiators on behalf of overall public service unions in the deal at Croke Park, expressed satisfaction at the outcome.
"It was a hugely robust debate, members are probably not yet 100% familiar with all aspects of the deal. At the end of the day, this matter is going to go out to a ballot of all our members but I’m happy that the executive’s recommendation to accept this deal stands," she said.
Ms Nunan said everybody accepts there are a lot of flaws in the deal but that she believes it is the best available at a time when the country is in a unique state of economic collapse.
"We have to accept the fact that perhaps action at this point in time is not going to advance our desire to see greater amounts in that deal than is currently there," she said.
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