O’Keeffe seeks support of teacher unions

TEACHER unions have been urged by Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe to ease pressure for industrial action and support Government policies following concessions on a number of education cutbacks in the new Fianna Fáil-Green Party programme.

The revised Programme for Government published on Saturday provides for 500 extra teachers at primary and second level in the next three years, as well as restoring grants for books for poorer families and funding for programmes aimed at keeping disadvantaged teenagers in school.

The teaching posts will add about €30 million a year to the Department of Education pay bill when all are in place, and the grants are worth more than €12.5m annually. The Teachers’ Union of Ireland decided last Friday to ballot its members for industrial action in anticipation of further cuts in education services and their pay in the budget, while other teacher unions are considering similar ballots.

Mr O’Keeffe said he has been disappointed with the attitude of unions up to now regarding the cuts he has had to make because of the economic downturn.

“Now that we have made some significant progress, I would hope we would have their full co-operation and that agreements that have been entered into would be honoured in full. I would hope we would make progress on all the other matters that would be in the interests of students in all of their schools,” the minister said.

He said this would include the lifting of directives by the TUI and Association of Secondary Teachers’ Ireland, imposed in opposition to education cutbacks, that members should not take part in parent-teacher meetings outside schools hours.

While the weekend deal did not match Green Party aims of a return to school staffing levels of last year, which the smaller coalition partner pushed for until the final deal was almost agreed, the education aspects are still the envy of other public service unions. Irish Nurses’ Organisation general secretary Liam Doran welcomed the investment in education as a “step back up the right road” in an essential public service, but said health unions were bitterly disappointed that parallel priority was not given to the ailing health service. “The failure of the two parties in Government to recognise and prioritise the needs of the health service in the new Programme for Government is an indictment on both and shows their ignorance of the situation which includes 1,700 beds closed and growing overcrowding at accident and emergency units,” he said.

Mr O’Keeffe confirmed the 500 teaching positions would be in addition to whatever extra numbers are needed by schools to cater for rising pupil numbers, which is expected to be around 600 more primary teachers next September alone. Work to put the first 200 of the extra teachers in place is due to begin immediately, but the minister could not say how soon they might be employed as he must consult with management bodies to decide which schools most need them.