University staff defer full engagement in Croke Park Agreement.

[stakerwallace]

University staff defer full engagement in Croke Park Agreement pending resolution of Compulsory Redundancy issue.

January 22nd, 2012



The National Executive of the Irish Federation of University teachers (IFUT) has voted to instruct all its branches to defer negotiations on implementation of productivity concessions under the Croke Park Agreement, pending resolution of a serious dispute in Trinity College, Dublin over compulsory redundancies which IFUT says are a negation of one of the core elements of the national agreement.



Mike Jennings, General Secretary of IFUT said that “last year IFUT members, with considerable reluctance, voted to endorse the Croke Park following detailed clarifications from the Department of Education as to how its provisions would apply in the university sector.



"One of the core guarantees given to us was that, in return for major extra productivity from our members there would be no compulsory job losses. This guarantee has been reneged upon.”



Two Lecturers in TCD with long service have been made redundant and a long serving member of the Library staff has also been issued with notice of dismissal, Mike Jennings states.



IFUT has agreed massive productivity concessions resulting in third level colleges having the highest number of students ever in our history. At the same time we have now far fewer staff to teach them.



“In return for agreeing to substantial extra productivity and input, we were guaranteed no job loses and no further pay cuts on top of the substantial reductions already suffered by staff.



“The authorities in TCD have, in spectacular fashion, broken this agreement

No party to an agreement could be expected to continue to honour it when the other party so blatantly welshes on their commitments.



“This dispute will, at IFUT’s request, now be investigated by the Labour Court in March. Until then IFUT is putting its participation in Croke Park on hold,” Mike Jennings said.





ENDS

[Will Yam]

University staff defer full engagement in Croke Park Agreement pending resolution of Compulsory Redundancy issue.

January 22nd, 2012



The National Executive of the Irish Federation of University teachers (IFUT) has voted to instruct all its branches to defer negotiations on implementation of productivity concessions under the Croke Park Agreement, pending resolution of a serious dispute in Trinity College, Dublin over compulsory redundancies which IFUT says are a negation of one of the core elements of the national agreement.



Mike Jennings, General Secretary of IFUT said that “last year IFUT members, with considerable reluctance, voted to endorse the Croke Park following detailed clarifications from the Department of Education as to how its provisions would apply in the university sector.



"One of the core guarantees given to us was that, in return for major extra productivity from our members there would be no compulsory job losses. This guarantee has been reneged upon.”



Two Lecturers in TCD with long service have been made redundant and a long serving member of the Library staff has also been issued with notice of dismissal, Mike Jennings states.



IFUT has agreed massive productivity concessions resulting in third level colleges having the highest number of students ever in our history. At the same time we have now far fewer staff to teach them.



“In return for agreeing to substantial extra productivity and input, we were guaranteed no job loses and no further pay cuts on top of the substantial reductions already suffered by staff.



“The authorities in TCD have, in spectacular fashion, broken this agreement

No party to an agreement could be expected to continue to honour it when the other party so blatantly welshes on their commitments.



“This dispute will, at IFUT’s request, now be investigated by the Labour Court in March. Until then IFUT is putting its participation in Croke Park on hold,” Mike Jennings said.





ENDS

Surprise. Surprise.

[stakerwallace]

Surprise. Surprise.

I am a bit surprised by this decision in fact. I presume it applies across the spectrum of all institutes where this union has members.

[RobertW]

Fair play to the IFUT . .the deal is setup, the productivity measures asked for were delivered, the guarantees were not forthcoming. . .so the deal no longer stands!

[Mr. Bumble]

To the barricades!

[jacko]

In fairness, they are hardly a bunch of militant workers-they dont even have the word Union in the name - TCD must have really been acting the bollix - bet the other uni's now caught up in this arent too pleased

[paulp]

IFUT has agreed massive productivity concessions resulting in third level colleges having the highest number of students ever in our history. At the same time we have now far fewer staff to teach them.

What does this sentence mean?
Why is agreeing to something that improves efficiency seen as a concession?
And benchmarking themselves against themselves a couple of years ago is meaningless.

[stakerwallace]

What does this sentence mean?
Why is agreeing to something that improves efficiency seen as a concession?
And benchmarking themselves against themselves a couple of years ago is meaningless.

I understand that in some cases where two lecturers taiught a course/ module with 300-400 students, one does it now,very often.

[bluefirelog]

University staff defer full engagement in Croke Park Agreement pending resolution of Compulsory Redundancy issue.

Two Lecturers in TCD with long service have been made redundant and a long serving member of the Library staff has also been issued with notice of dismissal, Mike Jennings states.

It would be interesting to know more about this e.g. what did the lecturers teach and is there still a demand for the subjects?
Were the lecturers in permanent pensionable jobs or were they on some kind of short term contracts over a long period that resulted in them being assumed to have 'contracts of indefinite duration?'
How were the lecturers selected for redundancy over other staff who might have had less service?
What is the story around the member of library staff?
Were they permanent or on short term contract?
If they were not on short term contract, are there others still employed on short term contract?
It is interesting that they describe the lecturers as being made redundant, but the library staff member as being 'dismissed.'
One would have to know more of the facts to judge what is going on here and whether it is actually a breach of the CPA or not...

[ipod]

In fairness, they are hardly a bunch of militant workers-they dont even have the word Union in the name - TCD must have really been acting the bollix - bet the other uni's now caught up in this arent too pleased

IFUT is in a minority in some universities, if it has any members at all e.g. DCU, NUIG, as far as I know. SIPTU is strong in those universities There were photos of Michael D carrying pickets in the 70s for what was then FWUI and is now SIPTU, during the aftermath of his election I think that NIHED (now DCU) was a closed shop for same union.