Merger of second-level unions moves step closer

A merger of two of the country’s second-level teaching unions appears to have moved a step closer, after the leaders of both groups said the current separation was “absurd and certainly wasteful” and one voted in favour of entering talks on the deal.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland and the Teachers Union of Ireland revealed the possibility of the move yesterday.

However, while TUI delegates voted by 180 to 115 in favour of a motion on entering talks “immediately” and both unions have recently worked closely on pay and education reform, efforts to fully combine the groups could still prove controversial and may take years to become a reality.