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Tecahers Union Of Ireland
TUI members on the IT Tralee academic staff will take part in a one-day strike on Wednesday, February 3.
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland members are taking industrial action over a number of issues within their sector.
In December, third level members voted in a national ballot by a margin of 92% in favour of a campaign of industrial action up to and including strike action.
Key concerns for IT staff, include what they see as chronic underfunding of the sector and the precarious employment status, income poverty and associated exploitation of many academic staff.
“Every day, Institute of Technology lecturers see first-hand the damage that an era of austerity cuts wreaks on the student experience of higher education,” said TUI President Gerry Quinn.
“The Institute of Technology sector has been brutalised by an era of anti-educational cutbacks and the latest figures speak for themselves. Funding was cut by 35% (€190m) between 2008 and 2015,” he added.
“Over the same time period, student numbers rose by a staggering (32%) 21,411 while lecturer numbers actually fell by 9.5% (535). This has had a direct, detrimental effect on the quality of service to students and the working conditions of academics.”
In the absence of any move towards remedying this situation, academic staff in the institutes feel they have been left with no option but to take strike action.
