The week after Easter is, traditionally, an important week in the education calendar with the teachers' unions in conference. Unusually, the teachers face into conference week this year with many of their key demands having already been met. The announcement in November of a £57 million package to tackle educational disadvantage has been especially welcomed. Other useful initiatives from the Minister for Education, Mr Martin, include the £9 million investment in additional primary teachers (which should help deliver a "maximum class average" of 30 pupils by next September) and the £15 million package to support the teaching of physics and chemistry at second level.
There is much work still to be done. Last week, an ASTI survey claimed that some 60 per cent of second-level classrooms are overcrowded, with more than the recommended maximum of 30 students in each class. The union's general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, warned that industrial action is likely unless action is taken by the Government to ease the overcrowding crisis. Another controversial issue will be school inspections. Last December, the TUI executive reversed a 1998 congress motion ruling out TUI co-operation with a Department of Education pilot scheme in 12 schools on "Whole School Evaluation". TUI members subsequently participated in two schools. There are several strongly worded motions condemning the union's executive for this action.
This year, teachers will also make the case for another increase in salaries. They are unhappy with the manner in which nurses, gardai and prison officers were able to extract additional pay increases from the Programme for Competitiveness and Work (PCW) in the mid-1990s. They are now wondering how they can catch up in the next national agreement. An emergency motion on pay, agreed by the executives of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland and the Teachers' Union of Ireland, will mandate the three union leaderships to pursue a claim in the next round of national agreement negotiations based on three issues: the gap that they say has opened between teachers and other public sector workers; the bonuses and profit-sharing schemes enjoyed by private sector workers since the PCW and the extra responsibilities on teachers brought about by the Education Act.
Many teachers believe that they have fallen significantly behind in the salary stakes. And in the current strong economic climate, the job security enjoyed by teachers, which was once so cherished, might appear less important - especially to younger teachers. These days, many teachers will compare their own salaries unfavourably with those in the private sector. The industrial relations problem facing teachers, however, is how to make the case for performance-related bonuses and profit-sharing for work in the classroom.