Vol. 285 No. 12
asked the Minister for Education if he is satisfied with the salaries and conditions of employment of Irish secondary teachers in the Ecole Européene, Brussels; and if he regards the position of surveillant as a suitable one for a fully qualified teacher.
3.
asked the Minister for Education if he will make a statement on the matter raised with him recently by three Irish teachers in the European School, Brussels regarding their appointments and salaries, with special reference to the lack of parity with their colleagues from other European countries.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 3 together.
The salaries and conditions of Irish teachers, primary and secondary, who are serving in the European schools, are governed by regulations which are of general application to all teachers on the staff of the schools. The Irish teachers are in receipt of their full home salaries during their period of secondment and, in addition, receive a further salary from the European schools calculated in accordance with the relevant regulations. Differences in total remunerations as between teachers of different nationalities arise from differences in rates of exchange and this is a matter of difficulty to which consideration continues to be given.
In regard to posts as surveillant, the position is that my Department has been prepared to facilitate Irish teachers who wish to apply for appointment to these posts.
Does the Minister know that there are people who were promised placement on the salary scale on their experience here who were not actually placed on the scale and that they are blaming the Department of Education for that situation?
I wonder are they justified. Surely the question at issue is the difficulty in regard to the conversion rate between the Belgian franc and the Irish £.
What I am asking the Minister is whether he is saying that the teachers in the college have, in fact, full recognition for their service in this country and that they are so placed on the salary scale?
The teachers have expressed dissatisfaction and this has been investigated. They are in receipt of their maximum benefits under the regulations——
I am asking the Minister the straight question, are the teachers in this school in Brussels on the salary scale where they would have been if they had stayed in this country?
They are on the point of the scale which they are entitled to under the regulations governing European schools.
Is it a fact that the people who are teaching there are of the opinion that if the Department of Education here had exercised enough pressure they would have been put on the appropriate point of the scale which they are not on at the moment?
That is a matter of opinion.
Can the Minister say whether the teachers in question were assured by the Department before taking up appointment that they would be placed on the point of the incremental scale at which they would be if they continued to work at home?
I am not aware that such a promise was given. All I am advised is that they were put on the maximum point possible under the regulations.
Question No. 4. The Chair has allowed quite a number of questions already on this matter.
This is a very important question. Is the Minister aware that these teachers are on a staff which includes teachers from Britain and other places and that they consider themselves to have been let down by the Department? Is the Minister satisfied with the terms of employment of the surveillant he mentioned? Is he aware that qualified Irish teachers are on the lowest salary scale in that school and does he appreciate the implications in this for an Irish teacher?
The posts were made available for Irish national in this school for the year 1975-76. These posts were advertised by circular and applications were invited. The nature of the posts was explained and was clarified further at the subsequent interviews. Therefore there should have been no basis for misunderstanding as to the nature of the posts. It was explained that the post of surveillant did not carry teachers' status or remuneration.
Is the Minister saying that this was made clear, because my evidence is to the contrary?
That is so.
I am calling Question No. 4.
With the indulgence of the Chair, would the Minister not agree that the Department of Education indicated there was a strong teaching element in the post of surveillant? Was it not on that basis that the teacher took this post?
The nature of the posts was explained and clarified further in subsequent interviews.
Is the Minister sure of that?
We must make some progress. I have allowed Deputy Wilson much latitude on this question.
This is a very serious business because it relates not only to this country but to Europe generally, and in particular to the status of Irish professional personnel in Europe.
We cannot debate the matter here.
I was convinced that the Minister would be the kind of man to stand up and be counted in a situation like this but I am surprised that he is not doing so.
A final supplementary from Deputy Colley.
The Minister referred to the difficulties arising because of exchange rates. Is he aware that the Irish Government are the only Government concerned which are not making up to their own citizens the difference in salary arising by reason of these difficulties and that one of the consequences of that is that an English teacher at the tenth point on the incremental scale earns 10,000 Belgian francs more than his Irish colleague on the same point?
I agree that there is a difference in the conversion rates in relation to the Irish and the British pounds.
Why are the Government not making up for this?
I cannot be held responsible personally for that.
Question No. 4, please.
Is the Minister aware that the British Government recognise the service in this country of Irish teachers who go to work in Britain? Why, then, should the Irish teachers not be on the same salary scale in Brussels as their British counterparts?
We are talking about exchange rates.
The difference could be made up by the Department of Education.
