The threat of a teacher boycott of the Young Scientist Exhibition in 2000 still looms, its sponsor, Esat Telecom, has confirmed. It expressed "surprise and disgust" yesterday that one of the foremost ways Irish students participate in extra-curricular activity is being "used in a fight over union recognition".
The ASTI, the largest secondary teachers' union, is recommending the boycott to its 16,000 members. This is in response to a request for solidarity by the Communications Workers' Union (CWU), which has been unsuccessfully seeking union recognition from Esat Digifone. Esat Telecom has a 45 per cent stake in the company which runs the State's second mobile phone network.
Esat Telecom is to review its sponsorship, worth about £600,000, of the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition later this month, particularly in the light of the union's stance, which has been supported by the Teachers' Union of Ireland. But the Irish Science Teachers' Association has "deplored the way in which the competition's future has been put at risk".
The company has already started work on the 2000 exhibition, conscious that it will be one of the first major public events in the Republic come the new millennium, and yet would be extremely difficult to stage without teacher co-operation. But it was heartened by the level of pubic support since the union stance was first taken in September, an Esat Telecom spokesman said.
He added: "We are surprised and disgusted with the use of this event as a method of recruiting people to the CWU. This is not the arena in which to fight an industrial relations issue."
Esat Telecom "respected union solidarity" and the right to representation, but chose to negotiate with workers on a one-to-one basis, he said.
An ASTI spokesman confirmed that the boycott threat remains. While the union was broadly supportive of the event, as it had been since its inception, it was "a matter of regret that the exhibition is being sponsored by what is clearly an anti-union company."
As a trade union it felt it could not recommend its members to support such a company. On claims of inappropriate action, he said that on being contacted by the CWU seeking its constitutional right to union recognition, it could not have responded otherwise.
ASTI did not wish to do anything to impair student-teacher participation, but there was still enough time for Esat Telecom to use the partnership approach.
A prize awarded annually at the exhibition sponsored by the teacher unions was withdrawn from this year's event, to the surprise of its sponsors. Esat Telecom said it made the decision to avoid confrontation at this year's exhibition.
