Vol.43 / No.3 February 2021
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
teachers’ union of ireland / AONTAS MúiNTeOirí éireANN Vol.43 / no.3 news february 2021 tui neWs A Word from the contents: p.2 A Word From The President President – Martin Marjoram p.4 TUi recommends rejection of proposed public service successful campaign to agreement protect health and safety of members p.5 establishment of MTU regrettably, the new year opened with ill- considered decrees risking severe p.8 COViD-19 and education – an difficulties in some education settings, international overview with a lack of decisions causing equal risk elsewhere. A concerted TUi campaign of p.10 Strong maths and since direct engagement with decision makers, performance a tribute to irish lobbying by members and strong students and teachers messaging in the media played an important role in reaching satisfactory p.12 emergency remote teaching outcomes across our workplaces. The and learning – guidance for health and safety of members and their members families as well as our students remain central to all of our considerations. p.15 TUi in the media Announcements of a rushed reopening of p.21 Teaching Council updates schools, as well as Youthreach and other centres, along with a lack of clear p.22 GAA launches Bloody Sunday TUi PreSiDeNT, MArTiN MArjOrAM direction that saw apprentices arriving in learning resources classrooms having travelled from various corners of the country, all at the height of p.24 Update on european Dear Members, an explosion in COViD-19 infections, Commission erasmus + required a sustained and determined projects continuing challenges response from TUi. i want to thank As we enter the second month of 2021, members for your help in lobbying TDs p.25 Consider supporting a fellow our hope for a very different year from and senators which, along with the actions teacher in ethiopia the last and our optimism regarding the of our executive Committee and officials, vaccine rollout are tempered by real played an important role in ensuring that p.27 rMA News concerns about the severity of the latest sense prevailed. surge in COViD-19, the difficulties of p.28 Crossword emergency remote teaching and the emergency remote teaching possibility that pressure on the political The delay in a return to face-to-face and educational systems may lead to the teaching of course presents its own adoption of unwise policy. difficulties. i am acutely conscious of the eDiTOriAL Annette Dolan Seamus Lahart PrODUCTiON Deputy General Secretary Assistant General Secretary Martin Marjoram [email protected] [email protected] TUi News is published by the President Teachers’ Union of ireland. [email protected] Anne Howard Declan Glynn Aontas Múinteoirí éireann, Assistant General Secretary Assistant General Secretary Liz Farrell [email protected] [email protected] 73 Orwell road, rathgar, Vice President Dublin 6, D06 YP89. [email protected] Aidan Kenny David Duffy Assistant General Secretary education & research Officer Michael Gillespie [email protected] [email protected] T: 01-492 2588 F: 01-492 2953 General Secretary e: [email protected] W: www.tui.ie [email protected] Colm Kelly Patricia Keating Assistant General Secretary Administrative Officer Printed by: [email protected] [email protected] Typecraft Ltd. Conor Griffin joanne irwin Press & information Officer Assistant General Secretary [email protected] [email protected] john O’reilly Assistant General Secretary [email protected] 2 february 2021 - TUi NeWS tui neWs challenges you face with emergency decision and developments since the turn in language which will allow this measure remote teaching and i will continue to use of the year have regrettably provided far not to be applied to future colleagues, this all opportunities to highlight your ongoing more confirmation of that judgement than proposal will in any case only solve a work and the magnificent contribution you we would ever have wanted. The fraction of the problem for lesser paid have made and continue to make to the Preliminary Agenda is in preparation as i teachers leaving a gap of €80,000 in career nation’s COViD-19 response. write and all of the necessary details and earnings still unaddressed. Furthermore, documentation will issue to Branches and there are no measures at all specific to the state examinations members as required. Thanks are due as other recruitment grades TUi represents The delay in reopening schools has ever to the Standing Orders Committee in Youthreach and in Adult and Further and generated unhelpful speculation regarding and TUi officials and staff whose work Higher education. Besides two general 1% the State examinations. TUi remains makes this possible, and to Branches for pay increases this and next October, the committed to state-certified, externally formulation and submission of motions. equivalent of a further 1% pay increase is assessed examinations and, in all of our We look forward to this vital landmark in set aside either to increase salary further engagements, has unfailingly stressed the our democratic calendar, though regretful or for a “sectoral bargaining fund”, importance of the various leaving that we cannot yet return to meeting and whereby a union or group of unions can certificate programmes, the additional congregating as normal. divert this money into solving outstanding components of assessment across a range issues and adjudications, essentially inviting of leaving certificate subjects, and the great establishment of Munster members to pay for the resolution of their own problems. value of the junior Certificate. Since late technological university last year, the General Secretary and i have Since 1st january 2021, two of our largest Besides balloting on the proposal itself, represented you in a confidential process workplaces, iT Tralee and Cork iT, have you will also be balloted to renew the of engagement regarding the state been dissolve d and the Munster union’s industrial action mandate as a examinations, including contingencies and Technological University established in means to progress our pay equality adjustments which may be necessary in their stead. The achievement of campaign. As ever, we ask that you vote the light of the COViD-19 crisis. This Technological University status is only YeS to renew this mandate with the process, involving the teaching unions, the made possible by the expertise and the assurance that industrial action will be Department, the inspectorate, the State extraordinary work over decades of taken as a last resort and with all possible examinations Commission, the academic staff in Munster whom TUi is protections for the interests of members. management bodies, and parent and rightly proud to represent. However, we Further details on the proposals and the student representatives, is ongoing and has are dissatisfied with the industrial relations ballots will issue soon. provided a forum to promote the legacy of the former employers, in spite of consistent TUi position outlined above. the sterling efforts of local T Ui However, at time of going to press, focus representatives to reach honourable important - please update has shifted considerably to calls for settlements, and we will be steadfast in your contact information As our workplaces are shut, it is essential calculated grades (possibly in addition to defence of the agreements, both national for the conduct of our ballots that you written examinations) and, even worse and local, which underpin the TU process. from our, or indeed any, reasonable update the contact information which TUi perspective, so-called “predicted grades” has for you. even if your information has meaning teachers taking full responsibility Building Momentum - not changed, you must access the system for grading our students without any executive recommends to confirm the information in order process of standardisation or external rejection of proposals for us to be able to post you a ballot moderation. We will continue to resist The new proposed public sector paper. Please take the opportunity by unwise policy proposals and have made agreement, Building Momentum, will be clicking the link here and note that the clear the significant, in some cases the subject of a ballot of members in the “Union reference” field is not a required insoluble, difficulties which would arise near future. The TUi executive Committee field if you do not have your TUi number from them. Last year’s breach of trust is recommending rejection of the pro posal to hand. regarding class rankings has been neither because it signally fails to resolve the The difficulties of the times have required forgotten nor forgiven, while we are also scandal of pay discrimination against a longer message from me than usual. mindful of cynical efforts to lever from the colleagues employed since 2011. While we important supporting information on COViD-19 crisis a permanent abolition of welcome the first modest pay increases many of the key issues is available in the state certified examinations. proposed for public servants in more than rest of this edition. a decade, the proposal includes only one inadequate measure specific to the pay With every good wish for the safety and annual congress 2021 – equality imperative, namely an increment health of you and your families, a remote event skip at point 12 for those appointed to the Last November, the TUi executive decided teacher’s pay scale since 2011 (or a skip at that Annual Congress 2021 will take place the next increment if point 12 has already remotely. This was seen as the only viable been reached). While scandalously stated www.tui.ie - TUi NeWS 3 tui neWs tui recommends rejection of proposed public service agreement because of its failure to end pay discrimination in a meeting that took place on 15th a Sectoral Bargaining Fund to be points of scale under €50,000 of December 2020, the executive applied in whatever form on 1st receiving €500 increases instead of 1%. Committee of the TUi unanimously February 2022.