‘We must see fairness from the top down’

PRIMARY schools and their staff are paying a heavy price for the Government’s failure to get tough on developers and tax exiles, the head of the largest teachers’ union claimed last night.

In an attack on the economic policies of the Fianna Fáil-led coalition, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) president Declan Kelleher said primary principals are paying more than most public servants towards the economic recovery. They have not been paid a benchmarking pay award promised to them in late 2007, worth between €2,000 and €3,000 a year in allowances on top of their salaries.

“In the meantime tax exiles, tax shelterers, property tycoons and the wealthy are walking off scot free from their obligations because they are the friends of this Government that simply doesn’t have the courage to take them on,” he said.

He told 800 delegates at the INTO annual congress in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, that the majority of principals who also teach classes get just three hours a week of substitute cover for administration duties, compared with two days per week for their counterparts in the North. He said they have one of the busiest and demanding jobs, and that they really work in both the private and public sector.

“Teaching principals must be private sector entrepreneurs, raising funds to keep the school afloat, and at the same time they must be public servants, running schools and teaching classes at the same time,” he said.

He said the country’s 30,000 primary teachers are paying between 10% and 14% of their salary towards economic recovery when the public service pension levy is included, despite the impression given by Government that public servants were only contributing towards their pensions for the first time.

“Teachers are more than prepared to pay their fair share towards economic recovery but we must see equity and fairness applied from the top down,” said Mr Kelleher.

But, he said, that has not happened and the Government will reap the reward for this at the local and European elections on June 6 and in the general election, which he said would come sooner rather than later.

“I believe that it’s time that we actively sought to bring about a government in this country that is led by the left and that is not overly influenced by fly-by-night property tycoons, speculators, big builders and the interests of big business and tax exiles. They have had an open door with government for far too long,” he said.

Delegates will vote on the possibility of industrial action today to achieve its objectives on reducing primary class sizes, which were dealt a blow in last October’s budget when primary teacher numbers were cut. Possible action in relation to modernisation measures could also follow on any further pay freeze if another motion is passed this morning, after the congress is addressed by Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe.

The union’s members have already voted for up to two days of strike in protest at the pension levy and various education cutbacks, with work-to-rule industrial action also sanctioned.