IPPN

SCHOOLS face widespread disruption in September as teacher unions backed a campaign of industrial action against Government cutbacks.

Angry primary and second-level teachers hardened their position on industrial action after another stormy day at teachers' conferences.

Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe, who was heckled by members of the Teachers Union of Ireland during his address to their annual conference in Cork, later appealed to teachers to use "common sense" before going ahead with threats of industrial action.

Teachers needed to think long and hard about the consequences of strike action on classrooms nationwide, the Minister said.

But even as he was speaking to the TUI in Cork, INTO delegates in Co Donegal, were engaged in a unanimous vote supporting industrial action.

Members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) debated an emergency motion endorsing industrial action. Delegates who had earlier rejected a weaker motion on the levy, demanded the stronger motion at the ASTI conference in Killarney.

All three teacher unions, like other public service unions, have already been mandated by members to take up to two days industrial action over the levy and the government's handling of the economic crisis.

INTO is set to back calls for a day of action -- in conjunction with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions -- which could lead to schools closing.

effects

The 800 primary teachers at the INTO conference said it was not their intention to impact directly on teaching and learning, but there will be inevitable side effects to their actions.

They plan to refuse to co-operate with a range of administrative tasks and not to fill in for certain posts left empty by a recruitment embargo.

The INTO unanimously condemned the cap on teacher numbers and the embargo on filling posts, including assistant principal jobs, leaving about 700 promotional posts in primary schools vacant.

mlavery@herald.ie

- Michael Lavery