The battle to succeed Senator Joe O'Toole as general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) now begins in earnest. He signalled his intention of vacating the post at yesterday's executive meeting in his hometown of Dingle, Co Kerry.
Senator O'Toole told The Irish Times that after 10 years the membership deserved a change. Many organisations, he said, had been destroyed by people outstaying their welcome. "I believe I still have great energy and creativity but, after 10 years, it is time to give someone else a chance", he said.
His replacement is expected to be named as general secretary designate by the INTO conference next Easter, although Senator O'Toole, the incoming president of the ICTU, will remain in situ until April 2002.
Senator O'Toole is taking no part in the choice of his successor, which will be decided on a postal ballot by the INTO's 21,000 members in the Republic and a further 6,000 in Northern Ireland. Five candidates have declared an interest in the vacancy.
All five are said to have some prospects, although most attention has focused on two formidable full-time officials: the general treasurer and deputy general secretary, Mr John Carr, and the assistant general secretary, Ms Catherine Byrne.
Issues of pay and conditions are expected to dominate the campaign, with many members unhappy that the gains secured under the national pay deal could be wiped out by inflation.
The race to succeed Mr O'Toole comes at a time when secondary teachers are poised to take industrial action in pursuit of a 30 per cent pay claim. It is likely the action by their second-level colleagues will have some bearing on how people perceive the INTO candidates. While the candidates' platforms may differ slightly, this will not be a race for moderates.
Mr Carr is regarded by most observers as the current favourite for the post. Principal of Belgrove National School in Clontarf when he was 29, Mr Carr has been a full-time official since 1989. He was director of elections when Senator O'Toole secured his post in 1991. From Donegal, he is expected to poll well in the North and Dublin. His campaign will be dominated by demands for better pay. He also wants closer links between the union leadership and members.
Ms Byrne is very well-placed to win the contest. A former USI leader (she organised the famous Carysfort strike by student teachers in the early 1970s), Ms Byrne has been a full-time INTO official since 1981. She has pioneered a range of work on the professional development of teachers. Between 1992 and 1995 she worked as an official with the European Trade Union Confederation in Brussels.
She is campaigning for better salaries and a better career structure.
Mr Carr's campaign will be helped by the fact that success for him would free up the elected position of general treasurer. Some candidates could switch their allegiance if they stood a good chance of succeeding him.
Ms Byrne's campaign will be helped by the gender issue. The INTO's membership is about 78 per cent female but there has never been a female general secretary.
The other declared candidates are:
Mr Tom O'Sullivan, from Limerick: a member of the INTO executive since 1989. He is principal of a six-teacher school in Limerick city.
Mr Noel Ward: a former programme manager to Mr Pat Rabbitte, he is from Tallaght, Dublin. He first attended the INTO congress as a USI student representative in 1975. His wife, Joan, is a vice-president of the INTO. He is campaigning on his grass-roots credentials as a teacher in Tallaght. He wants closer links between the union's leadership and members.
Ms Sheila Nunan, an INTO executive member, is the acting principal of a school for members of the Travelling community in Bray, Co Wicklow.