Institutes of technology could face industrial action by academics

Institutes of technology could face industrial action by academic staff if they fail to consult them or try to change their conditions in any mergers to form technological universities (TUs), a union has warned.

With legislation governing the potential changes due soon, and three groups of institutes of technology (IoTs) at various stages of readiness to seek TU status, lecturers have expressed misgivings about the process.

More than 1,110 Teachers Union of Ireland members in the sector responded to an online survey on the changes last month. Almost three quarters of them were career lecturers and the rest were mostly academic managers or recruitment grade lecturers.