Teachers’ trade union conferences taking place this week

Teachers’ annual trade union conferences take place this week, with the primary level union, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), opening its three day annual congress in Killarney this afternoon.

Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) delegates, meanwhile, will begin their gatherings tomorrow in Wexford and in Kilkenny, with both events running until Thursday.

Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton is due to address INTO delegates tomorrow morning, before travelling on to Wexford to the ASTI convention later that day.

Ms Naughton is expected to tell primary teachers that she intends over the coming year to focus on three key areas: Teacher professional development, helping teachers and school leaders focus on teaching, and reforms to special education to make the system more inclusive for all.

The minister will also address the issue of teachers who receive an injury in the course of their work.

Read More: 5 concerns teachers will raise at trade union conferences

She will say 200 primary-level teachers were injured at work in 2023 and 2024, and that the Government recognises that this can have a significant impact on teachers.

INTO delegates are due to debate a motion calling for compensation and “fit for purpose” assault leave schemes for teachers who suffer injuries while carrying out their duties.

Both Ms Naughton and Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless will address delegates at the TUI conference in Kilkenny on Wednesday.

That union represents teachers at both post-primary and further and higher education levels.

Former president Michael D Higgins is also due to address INTO delegates in Killarney on Wednesday.

With negotiations on a new national wage agreement due to begin in the coming weeks, teachers’ pay is among a number of key issues of concern to teachers this year; as are cost of living pressures, teacher workload, and, at second level, changes to leaving certificate subjects and, in particular, how students are to be assessed.