Teaching unions to survey members about merger

Minister of Education Norma Foley (left) and TUI President David Waters (right) at the Teachers Union of Ireland Congress (TUI) in Killarney. Picture: Tommy Clancy

Ireland’s two largest post-primary teaching unions will launch a survey of their membership regarding a long-mooted amalgamation from next week.

President of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) Geraldine O’Brien announced the survey to merge with the Teaching Union of Ireland (TUI) at her union’s annual convention in Wexford on Wednesday but warned that such a merging of two large bodies "is not a simple process”.