Teachers’ unions progress talks over ‘seismic’ merger of ASTI and TUI

Senior officials at the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) are progressing talks over creating a single union representing almost 40,000 teachers at second and third level.

The outline of a proposed merger is likely to be presented to members before the end of the current academic year and could be a “seismic moment” in education, according to the presidents of both unions.

Meetings between the ASTI and TUI have involved an examination of both unions’ rule books and a potential structure for a new education union.

“There remains a considerable amount of work to be done,” said TUI president David Waters, and ASTI president Geraldine O’Brien, in a joint statement.

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“The aim is to create a new union that at its heart is member focused. It must both acknowledge and respect the traditions of each union, while also creating a new union that is able to face the challenges of today’s industrial relations landscape.”

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It said a larger union would mean that members would “no longer be pitted against each other” and give teachers a stronger voice as a member of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ public services committee.

The union presidents said any outcome that emerges from discussions will require “comprehensive and substantial membership consultation within both unions and will ultimately be adjudicated upon in ballots of members”.

Traditionally, the ASTI represented the interests of teachers in voluntary secondary schools – mostly run by religious orders – while the TUI represented teachers in vocational, community and comprehensive schools.

The lines between the two have blurred significantly over the years, especially since a dispute in 2017 when significant numbers of members in voluntary secondary schools switched unions.

Senior TUI members claim they are in a sector which is growing faster due to the expansion of community schools, typically run by State-backed education and training boards.

The ASTI claims, for its part, that its membership is also growing and it has numbers in sectors where it was traditionally underrepresented.