The TUI has called for special legislation to deal with the bullying of teachers. This follows survey evidence showing that most bullying is carried out by principals and other senior managers and not by students.
TUI president Mr Joe Carolan called for an amendment to the Equality Employment Act to outlaw bullying as it outlaws discrimination on specific grounds.
The preliminary results of the TUI survey - carried out by the Anti-Bullying Centre at Trinity College, Dublin on nearly 300 TUI members - found that almost a third of the respondents were bullied occasionally, nearly a quarter were bullied over the past 12 months, and just under 12 per cent were bullied often.
The average duration of the bullying experienced was 3.3 years, with one teacher reporting bullying going on for nearly 15 years.
Most of those responsible for bullying were men and people in senior positions. Of those bullied by same-level colleagues or subordinates, most were women. Less than 7 per cent of the bullies were students and 5 per cent were parents.
Nearly a quarter of those who suffered bullying reported physical illness, nearly 17 per cent mental illness, 17 per cent were on prescribed medication and 19 per cent went absent from school as a result of bullying. Some 15 per cent said they considered leaving their jobs.
The bullying took various forms: 70 per cent of those affected said it was in the form of lack of acknowledgement for good work; 60 per cent shouting and obscenities; 58 per cent withholding of information; 33 per cent constant work overload; and 30 per cent being made to feel isolated or socially excluded. Only 4.2 per cent said it took the form of physical abuse.
TUI education officer Mr Billy Fitzpatrick emphasised that bullying was not a "once-off act" but "a persistent undermining of the individual, which is much more devastating because it is so personalised".
The survey found that in the majority of cases when complaints were made to a principal, college personnel officer or TUI representative no action was taken. Greater success was reported when the victim personally confronted the bully.
Mr Fitzpatrick said: "From these findings, you could say that one out of eight bullies are students and parents. However, seven out of eight are teachers, usually principals and other people in senior management positions."
Mr Carolan told the congress that he knew of at least eight people in the hall who were being "systematically bullied by management. How do I know this? I know it because I am dealing with their cases."