Teachers’ body ‘will not replace unions’

A FEDERATION of more than 60,000 teachers could be set up within the next year but it will not replace the four existing unions.

Discussions over the past year between the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) have led to outline proposals for an organisation which would represent their members on common concerns.

Details of the Federated Teachers’ and Lecturers’ Union are likely to be presented at the annual conferences next month of the ASTI, INTO and TUI by officials who were delegated last year to enter initial talks with their counterparts and with IFUT.