Unanimous vote to reject public service pay deal

THE Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has unanimously voted against the public service pay agreement and threatened potential strike action from September in response to the latest Cabinet cutbacks.

At the first day of its annual congress in Ennis, Co Clare, 450 delegates of the union – representing 14,500 teachers in community and vocational second level schools, institutes of technology and PLCs – rejected plans agreed between the Government and public service unions.

In a highly emotional hour-long session, delegates describing the pay deal as “educational treason”, a “wholesale assault on schools” and an agreement to which “no self-respecting union” would submit.

And in a clear message to both the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), and Tánaiste and new Education Minister, Mary Coughlan, who yesterday confirmed the likelihood of yet more public service cuts next year, the teachers group warned that members will no longer take attacks lying down.

“This is the day, today is the day, for the Easter rising of the TUI,” said vice-president Bernie Ruane.

“This agreement is certainly not what Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone died for, and to go along with such an agreement is educational treason. This deal is akin to taking the engine out of your car and asking you to drive faster anyway. Other unions are in support of it, but we are a sovereign union. Let no one think they can decide for us.

“This Government, like Judas, has betrayed us trice, once with the 3.5% increase which never arrived, then the pension levy, then the massive pay cuts.”

She then added a clear reference to former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern: “This Government is akin to Fagan’s gang in Oliver Twist, only with this Government, it is Fagan’s in Drumcondra.

“The strategy is pick a pocket or two, preferably a pocket of a public service worker or a child.”

Members of the Dublin colleges branch said the deal is the result of the “absolute absence of any leadership from the ICTU” who are running a “lie down and get kicked campaign” and would prefer to “play footsie with Government during negotiations in Croke Park than get on the pitch and start leading”.

As a result of the anger over the agreement, Ms Coughlan’s future cutbacks announcement, and claims 1,200 jobs have been lost, delegates voted in favour of a full membership ballot on potential industrial action.

The result of the vote will not be known until May.

TUI president Don Ryan attempted to diffuse further talk of a walk-out when Ms Coughlan arrives today. However, he stressed that the union will not be forced into a deal it sees as vilifying public service workers.

“We’re very concerned if that’s the only message she’s bringing to congress (more cuts),” said the president.

“Clearly my members are not prepared to take any further cuts on their standard of living. We’ve taken enough cuts and we’re not prepared to take any more.

“Clearly it (more cuts) just makes a lie of what Government were saying, that there would not be any more pay cuts and that in actual fact they might be refunding pay. It makes a lie of the whole deal, the proposals that were on offer a week ago, and now we are clear that we made the proper decision in rejecting it.

“This was a lie based on some very vague promises, and we simply do not believe this Government.”