Industrial action bid thwarted by Croker pact ban [Independent.ie]
- Published: 28 April 2011
UNION leaders have told teachers how the Croke Parkagreement has tied their hands on taking industrial action.
Demands from delegates at the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) conference to be allowed to use such action -- as a weapon against job cuts affecting the most disadvantaged pupils -- were overruled.
Although voted down on two occasions, up to one-third of the delegates supported industrial action.
INTO general secretary Sheila Nunn -- who is also a member of the Croke Park Agreement implementation body -- said industrial peace was part of the trade-off for protecting pay and jobs.
"We have to be truthful and honest: industrial action puts us in direct conflict with the agreement to protect the pay of teachers," she warned.
There was outrage among delegates over the cap on special needs assistant (SNA) numbers and reductions in resource staff who provide support to disadvantaged pupils.
Drogheda branch delegate Mary Conneely said teachers needed to dispel the myth that they could meet the demands of children with special needs without proper support systems.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
