On the eve of tomorrow’s school strikes, a disgruntled Donegal teacher has slammed the Teachers Union of Ireland for the stance they have taken.
The teacher, who asked not to be named, has written an open letter to TUI President and Donegal native Joanne Irwin.
In the letter, the teacher explains that he no longer feels his union represents his interests.
This is his letter.
Donegal Daily welcomes responses from all interested parties.
Dear Ms Irwin,
“I would like to convey my disgust at the recent comments you have made in relation to the current situation regarding the ASTI strike.
“As a member of the TUI in Donegal, I am ashamed at the stance that my union is taking, by criticising a union that has the nerve to stand up to a government that has broken promise after promise. Having spoken to other teachers in the past few weeks about their reasons for voting yes in the last election, it is clear that they voted based on the TUI recommendation and now regret their choice.
“I heard you last summer talking about Croke Park hours and despite the poor effort that you made to illustrate what they were, I noticed that you were staunchly opposed to them. However, upon your election you seemed to have forgotten your opposition and gave in to the Government’s demands without a fight. By recommending a ‘yes’ vote, you showed the government that the TUI are pushovers and that the government can get what they want through threatening teachers.
“As it stands, the TUI have accepted Landsdowne and it has accepted the new Junior Cert, which is beyond a joke, with teachers correcting the work and it being meaningless to the students, who have put so much effort into their project work. The ASTI are still refusing to accept a flawed system and are refusing to accept the broken promises of a weak government. If I had a choice, I know which union I would prefer to be a member of.
“Back to Landsdowne. Your selling point last year was on two points. One, a threat that FEMPI would be implemented, which it hasn’t and two, that we would receive payment for substitution and supervision, which amounts to little or nothing in the grand scheme of things.
“Ask teachers what really matters and they will tell you that it is the thirty-three hours unpaid work that is the biggest problem in terms of our work. That and the inequality that exists in relation to new entrants, not to mention the fact that the TUI have stood by and watched the casualisation of teaching jobs, with many teachers waiting almost a decade to get a full-time job.
“For you to come out and criticise the ASTI is unfathomable. Is it because they are showing what weak negotiators you and your team are? Or are you really on the side of Richard Bruton and the government because in my eyes, you either stand with the ASTI or you keep quiet. Cheerleading for Landsdowne is a despicable act and it has enraged ordinary teachers on the ground.
“It is becoming abundantly clear that the TUI no longer represents the voice of teachers. The ASTI are teachers, the TUI is made up of FETAC instructors, teachers and lecturers. How can FETAC instructors and lecturers vote on issues affecting teachers, when they are not cognisant of the finer details of what teaching is about?
“As a paying member of a union that I feel no longer represents my interests, but that of an executive eager to please its masters, I will be re-evaluating my membership of the organisation and also urging others to do likewise. We are not paying for you to be a mouthpiece for the government, to cheerlead for Richard Bruton in the hope you might get a pat on the head for a job well done.
“We are paying you to fight for us as teachers, this is something you seem to have forgotten, but you will start to remember when union fees are no longer paid. I can only urge you for the rest of strike campaign to stay quiet, to say nothing because nothing will deflect from the lack of courage shown by the TUI and when it is contrasted with the ASTI, is all the more clear.
“As a teacher who has still not got CID (full-time job), I will have to send this anonymously, as I am aware that a dissenting voice would not be welcome.”
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