Teaching union pledges to fight cuts

HALF-DAY strikes andthe cancellation of parent-teacher meetings are on the cards for thousands of secondary school students after teachers promised a strong and sustainedcampaign against wage cuts announced in the budget.

As 360,000 public sector workers, including teachers, face wage cuts of 5% to 15%, it emerged that staff at State-owned Bord Gais are to get a pay rise of 3.5%.

John White, general secretary of the secondary teachers’ union, the ASTI, said last night the Government will have to “live with the consequences” of not valuing workers delivering services to the public.

Following a meeting of the union’s 180-member executive council, it issued a statement saying: “The level of anger amongst teachers at the Government’s treatment of the public sector is such that a strong and sustained campaign of opposition is inevitable.”

The executive agreed to draw up a “programme of action” with other unions representing teachers at primary and third level, which could include strike action.

It vowed not to co-operate with the Government’s transformation agenda, which means proposed changes to the Junior Cert are unlikely to happen.

“In addition to this, the ASTI will vigorously implement directives on parent-teacher meetings and staff meetings outside school hours, class size, posts of responsibility, school development planning meetings, and subject inspections.”

Last night Mr White said: “The Government has clearly indicated that it does not believe that quality, effective public services are important to ordinary members of the public including parents, children, young people, pensioners and workers. The Government must live with the consequences of this.”

Meanwhile, Fine Gael has called on the Government to repudiate the national pay deal agreed in September last year which will see Bord Gais workers get a 3.5% pay rise increasing the average salary at the semi-state company to €70,000.

The rise follows a Labour Court ruling in October the payment should be made. Simon Coveney said: “Bord Gais would not have been found to be profitable by the Labour Court if it had been forced by the Regulator to make gas cheaper”.

Anger among public sector workers over wage cuts is likely to be further fuelled by the revelation that 41 of the State’s 142 judges have so far refused to pay the pension levy for 2009 imposed on other public servants. The judges were not subjected to the levy because of advice to the Government from the Attorney General that the Constitution does not allow a cut in the pay of the judiciary.

However the judges, who earn between €148,000 and €296,000 a year, were urged by the Chief Justice, John Murray, to make a voluntary contribution.