IPPN

Published: 01 October 2007

Since the beginning of September, IPPN's Support Office has received an unprecedented number of telephone calls and emails from Principals frustrated at the degree to which their summer holidays have been eroded due to the ever-increasing demands of school-related work.

In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the amount of time Principals have been required to work during official school holidays. There is no need to tell you the reasons why this is so. Boards of Management have become more dependent on the Principal for much of its work due to Board members being unable, unavailable or unwilling to carry out their prescribed roles. The net result is that for schools to function properly, Principals end up carrying responsibilities and workload which rightfully belong to the Board of Management.

This can only be described as a gradual and real deterioration of working conditions. It's remarkable that while there is so much emphasis on having 'water-tight' contracts and detailed job descriptions for In-School Management roles, there is no such requirement for the role of Principal. As a professional body, IPPN does not have a role in industrial relations issues or matters pertaining to conditions of service. These affairs are clearly the responsibility of our Trade Union, the INTO.

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the volume of calls and correspondence from Principals expressing anger and frustration about the deterioration in their working conditions. Principals say that they have no satisfactory means of having their voice heard elsewhere. However, until such time as matters that are the responsibility of the Trade Union are consistently addressed to the Trade Union, improvements to Principals' working conditions will not happen. On numerous occasions, when IPPN have met with the INTO to highlight Principals' concerns, our arguments have been dismissed with the claim that '... this is not what we [INTO] are hearing from Principals'.

Nevertheless, given that you have addressed your concerns through IPPN in great numbers, we have responded by conducting an on-line survey of Principals on the current burning issue, Reclaiming the Summer- The Erosion of Principals' Holidays. To date, more than 1,100 Principals have completed this survey. When the data has been collated and analysed, it will be published and sent to you. IPPN will also submit it to the INTO providing clear, irrefutable evidence of what Principals are actually saying on this issue. Meanwhile, a letter has been sent to Mr. John Carr, General Secretary of the INTO, reflecting the main issues which you have already brought to IPPN's attention. Please click on the link below for a copy of this letter.

Is sinne le meas,

Larry Fleming, Seán Cottrell