Protest at TU Dublin over regional variations

A PROTEST held this week at TU Dublin Tallaght was part of nationwide demonstrations over “unacceptable” regional variations in pay and conditions within the Technological University sector.

At lunchtime on Tuesday, protests were held by third level members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) who claim that the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) is failing to adhere to a collective agreement voted on in 2017.

TUI members at third level voted in a national ballot in 2017 to accept a collective agreement concerning the establishment of Technological Universities.

In a statement on Tuesday, the TUI said: “The agreement provided for retention of the sector – previously the Institute of Technology sector and thenceforth the Technological University sector – and for prior meaningful communication, consultation and, where appropriate, negotiation with the TUI on relevant matters.

“Regrettably, DFHERIS and management have not adhered to this collective agreement, deliberately and consistently frustrating the proper functioning of the third level industrial relations fora.

“TUI has described the Department’s approach as an attempt to have each TU free to operate separately, without regard or recourse to national negotiation.

“This is a clear and wholly unacceptable breach of a collective agreement accepted in good faith by our members.”

The trade union is now asking the DFHERIS to engage “meaningfully with us on these key issues”.

“Should they continue to fail to do so, the union already has a strong mandate for a campaign of industrial action, up to and including strike action, on this critical issue following a national ballot of members last month”, the TUI statement said.

Noel Gorman is the Chair with the union’s TU Dublin Tallaght Branch and has been based at the local campus for more than 30 years in the School of Maths and Statistics.

Speaking with The Echo on Tuesday, he said that the cause of current issues is down to the forum not operating as it should.

“[The forum] is not functioning in the way it was intended… and we would like to ensure the function of the forum as agreed”, he said.

Mr Gorman said that the forum was established to stop technological universities from “acting unilaterally”, and believes if this was to happen, there would not be a sector anymore.

In relation to pay, he said: “It’s about equal pay for equal work.

“There should be a parity of esteem across the sector.”

When contacted by The Echo, the Department said that it has engaged “consistently” with the TUI on the reform of the Technological University sector.

A spokesperson said: “The Department has engaged consistently with the TUI on the reform of the TU sector through the appropriate forums and remains available to enter into discussions on this matter.

“The dispute has arisen in relation to the establishment of a new Executive Management Team in MTU which has been sanctioned by the Department of Public Expenditure.

“The Department does not accept that there has been any breach of the 2017 agreement or any other agreement.

“DFHERIS is continuing to engage with TUI to seek an agreed solution and is willing to avail of the dispute resolution mechanisms that exist if necessary.”

Service to students was not affected by the lunchtime protests.