Sir, – The INTO has strongly criticised the Catholic managers of primary schools (CPSMA) whose letter to schools says the new Croke Park proposal is “simply a bridge too far” that will have “an extremely negative impact on educational outcomes”. The INTO views this warning letter as a “gross interference” in the balloting process by school managers, on the grounds that they “do not have a role” in this “pay negotiation process”. (Home News, March 20th).
The INTO fails to acknowledge that some of unions who went into these gun-to-the-head negotiations (agree or else we will pass legislation to make you agree) had absolutely no role to play either. Gerard Craughwell, TUI president, has put on record that the TUI had “no hand nor part” in the Croke Park talks, as small fry unions such as the TUI were ignored, while the Government officials concentrated on wooing the larger unions whose support could swing the deal in favour of the proposal.
The INTO’s compliance with this manipulation has proved the Government strategy of dividing and conquering the unions has been a success and its censorship of opinion and democratic debate is alarming and reprehensible.
Surely, the managers of schools are entitled to express their opinion on a proposal affecting the schools they manage and the INTO has no right to try and stop them? What next? Parents not allowed to speak on the topic, as they had no role in the process? – Yours, etc,
JUNE O’REILLY,
Equality Officer,
Teachers’ Union of Ireland,
Cork Colleges’ Branch,
Cork Institute of
Technology,
Cork.