The general secretary of the INTO, Joe O'Toole, issued an angry reaction last week to the Government's proposal on the European Equality Directive. The initial suggestion by the Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue, that employees of religiously run institutions should be required to "uphold" their employers' ethos drew O'Toole's particular scorn.

O'Toole said: "Are we now back to the days when teachers' private lives will come under scrutiny to establish whether or not they are upholding their employers' religious ethos? Are we back to the `Valley of the Squinting Windows'?"

He went on: "The European Ministers for Justice had intended to adopt a European Equality Directive which would protect teachers' employment in matters of religion and ethos. It merely proposed that only teachers of religion would be required to uphold the religious ethos of the school. It is appalling that the Minister for Justice, on behalf of the Irish Government, is proposing today, to veto this proposal . . . . "It is incorrect of him to state that all teachers in Irish schools are required to `uphold the ethos of the school'. The pieces of legislation dealing with this matter are the Employment Equality Act and the Equal Status Act and all that is required of teachers . . . is that they do not `undermine the ethos of the school'.

"The Minister is now attempting to put a new burden on Irish teachers, one which interferes with their private lives and their religious beliefs. The teachers of Ireland are entitled to their privacy in the practice of their beliefs . . . .

"It is bad enough that under current legislation school authorities can give preference to co-religionists and discriminate against those of a different religion when appointing teachers," O'Toole said. "They can also dismiss any teacher who is undermining the school's religious ethos. Surely any fair-minded person would agree that this is more than enough authority for schools to protect their ethos . . . .

"Teachers can and should respect the ethos of the school and should never undermine it or the beliefs attaching to it. On the other hand churches and school authorities must recognise that teachers also reflect the diversity of beliefs of the society they live in. Some of them may not practise or believe in, any religion. That is their own business and should remain so as long as it does not interfere with the ethos of schools or the pupils . . . .

"The Minister should support teachers in their professional role and back off from involving himself in their religious beliefs or their private lives."