TUI set for strike ballot if college merger goes ahead

A showdown with staff looks increasingly likely at two Munster institutes of technology as a union prepares to ballot lecturers for industrial action if a proposed merger goes ahead.

Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) president Brendan Murphy said the plan is to proceed with the process with Institute of Technology Tralee (ITT), despite this week’s approval for the vote by Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) branches at both colleges. They have already lodged a dispute with the Labour Relations Commission about the proposed merger, required for the colleges to make an application to become a technological university (TU).

Mr Murphy told graduating students at CIT’s National Maritime College of Ireland management were delighted with the approval of international experts last December for the Munster Technological University (MTU) proposal to move to the next application stage.