Primary teachers to be balloted for industrial action over continued ban on job promotion

The country’s 33,000 primary school teachers will be balloted for industrial action over, what their union says, is the continued ban on job promotion in schools as well as an increasing workload.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation said the ballot will ask teachers to stop all involvement with the Department of Education’s ongoing programme of school self-evaluation.

It claims the ban on promotions in primary schools, introduced in 2008, has led to the loss of thousands of promotions, severely impacting upon the career prospects of teachers who have not seen their status advanced and increasing the workload on those in promoted posts.