Representatives of the four teaching unions met this morning to discuss the pension levy for public sector workers and the Government’s handling of the current economic crisis.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (Asti), the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), who represent over 50,000 teachers, met to co-ordinate their opposition to the levy.
The TUI, INTO and Asti are currently balloting their members on industrial action. The IFUT executive council are due to meet later this week to discuss whether to seek a mandate for industrial action.
Asti spokeswoman Gemma Tuffy said teachers feel they are being unfairly targeted.
“The Government approach is very unfair. Teachers feel they’re singling out one group and not spreading the burden fairly,” she said.
TUI president Don Ryan said his members were “extremely angry” about the levy and about cutbacks in education services.
“We met today to find a common approach and co-ordinate our opposition to the levy,” he said.
“We’ll be examining what duties our members will stop doing in protest at the levy and the cutbacks announced last autumn. Any action taken will not affect frontline teaching services but it will affect administrative duties such as parent teacher meetings,” he said.
Mr Ryan said the unions would meet again after next Saturday’s national demonstration in Dublin to formalise plans for further action.
All four unions are urging their members to participate in the march organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions against the Government’s proposals for tackling the recession.
The executive council of the INTO which represents 30,000 primary teachers said last Friday there was "no option" but to seek a mandate for industrial action up to and including strike action.
John Carr general secretary of the INTO said the blame for any industrial action in primary schools which may follow lies squarely on the shoulders of the Government which has unilaterally targeted public servants for pay cuts and failed to reopen social partnership talks.
Mr Carr said the vehemence of the attacks on public servants by politicians and commentators in recent months is unprecedented.
"Public service workers have been singled out and targeted as spongers, freeloaders and a burden on society," he said.
"An unholy alliance of politicians, employers and the super-rich who want to preserve their privileged positions has developed whose sole aim is to blame and target the public service for the nation's economic difficulties," he added.