Members of the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) employed by Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (MSLETB) have voted to take strike action in September over the transfer of a teacher the union says is in contravention of an agreement with the Department of Education.
If it goes ahead, the action would affect up to 30,000 second level and further education students at more than 30 schools and other centres across the counties.
The union said it allowed the transfer to proceed on a temporary basis despite it breaching an agreement with the Department in order to avoid a dispute at an earlier stage but 18 months after the issue first arose, it said it has been left with no alternative but to take action.
It said it initially suspended a ballot of its members on industrial action last month when it received what it believed to be satisfactory assurances from the ETB. Those assurances sought to address the board’s decision to transfer one of its members more than the 45 kilometre upper limit provided for in its agreement with the Department.
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The board has indicated since that it intendeds the transfer, which is of a staff member based in Mayo to a workplace in another part of the county, to be continued for the next academic year.
In the ballot of its members in the area completed recently, 95 per cent voted in favour of industrial action in the event the problem is not resolved.
“We’re not quite sure how they could be pressing ahead with this,” said TUI president David Waters. “The agreement is clear and we believe the department actually agrees with us on this. We thought it had been sorted out but it seems now the ETB just wanted to get to the end of the year and so we feel there is a fairly major breach of trust element too.”
He says a factor in the dispute is that the ETB in question covers the largest geographical area of any in the country and that there is the potential for staff members to be left with commutes of anything up to two hours if compulsory transfers beyond the 45 kilometre limit were to be allowed.
“Obviously it could be an issue in other parts of the country too, that’s basically the reason the agreement was reached in the first place. I’m not quite sure how the board in this area feels they can just trample all over that.”
MSLETB operates 19 schools, 12 further education and training centres, five youthreach centres and two training Centres.
The union said all could be affected if the action goes ahead.
MSLETB said the issue comes down to a difference of interpretation of an element of the relevant agreement and insists it is compliant.
“MSLETB believes that open and continuous dialogue is essential in addressing the concerns raised by our teachers and ensuring that all parties adhere to the collective agreement,” it said. “The priority for all must be the educational needs of our students, and we believe that all sides should work collaboratively to avoid this disruption.”
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