Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 2 Nov 1999

Vol. 509 No. 6

Written Answers. - Grievance Procedure.

Frances Fitzgerald

Ceist:

594 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether there is a need for an independent departmental body whereby teachers who have a complaint against a principal or a board of management can have their case heard in a just and fair way where they are not satisfied that the board of management has dealt with the issue properly. [21347/99]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

It is the relevant management authorities of primary and second level schools who are the employers of teachers and not the Department of Education and Science nor the Minister for Education and Science.

At primary level a grievance procedure for handling grievances in schools has been agreed between the INTO and the management bodies and has been in operation for a number of years. The purpose of the procedure is to provide machinery for a resolution of any grievance of a teacher in a primary schools against the board of management in respect of the exercise of any of its responsibilities relating to the governance of the school or the principal teacher in respect of his or her duties and responsibilities for the organisation, conduct and day-to-day activities of the school.

While the grievance procedure sets out a number of stages which must be followed, including the hearing by a board of management of the grievance, it also provides for the setting up of an independent tribunal to adjudicate on a matter where the teacher is unwilling to accept the decision of the board of management.

Procedures for dealing with individual grievances are in place in the various sectors at second level. Discussions on a revised conciliation and arbitration scheme for teachers, which provides for grievance procedures to be agreed and approved by the Teachers Conciliation Council, were completed at the council in December last. Ratification of the revised C&A scheme requires the consent of all the parties to the scheme.

A teacher, of course, also has recourse to the normal industrial relations machinery of the State where he-she is dissatisfied at his-her treatment by a board of management. In the circumstances I do not see the need for an independent departmental body to be established to deal with such cases as I am satisfied that there are adequate means in operation to deal with such situations.