Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 November 2016
233. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason teachers in designated community colleges who are not members of any trade union are not being treated the same as members of the TUI for the purposes of the Lansdowne Road agreement (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36282/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraASTI issued a directive to its members to withdraw from the Croke Park hours with effect from 11 July 2016. ASTI's decision to withdraw from these hours means that the union has repudiated the Lansdowne Road Agreement. As a result, my Department issued Circular 0045/2016 which set out the arrangements for the application of the Lansdowne Road Agreement in respect of post-primary teachers.
The Designated Community College sector is considered as having dual union representation i.e. both ASTI and TUI have representation rights in respect of teachers in such schools.
In the case of Designated Community Colleges, those teachers who are members of TUI (which has accepted to the Lansdowne Road Agreement) were asked to identify themselves to their employer Education and Training Board so that the agreement could be applied to them. The provisions of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts are being applied to all other teachers in the Designated Community College sector.
As is the norm with public service collective agreements, the Lansdowne Road Agreement was negotiated with trade unions which are recognised as representing staff in the public service (including teachers). It is normal industrial relations practice in the public service that the decision of the trade union recognised as holding representative rights for a particular grade or sector will determine the position for all relevant staff in that grade/sector. This context does not allow for acceptance or rejection of collective agreements by staff on an individual basis.
Accordingly, there are no proposals at this time to treat teachers separately based on the fact that they are not a member of a trade union.
