Ridiculous Teacher’s Strike
I am all for the rights of workers to withdraw labour if they have been unjustly treated - but this planned teacher’s strike for November 24th is based on the assumption that the Budget is going to make cuts that affect teachers pay.
Having a strike about something that has not yet happened is ridiculous .
There are reports from teachers who thought the strike ballot was about taking action IF cuts were made in the Budget. See Here
It’s comical but worrying that some teachers don’t seem too sure what they voted for - and these people are teaching our children.
Even if there is a threat of cuts - no one knows where they will be and what they will be. How can anyone vote to go on strike about something that hasn’t happened? It’s not just teachers - all Public Service workers have voted to go on strike on November 24th 2009.
There is even talk of another day of Strikes in December too!
The the average male primary school teacher earns €64,000 per annum, while the average female primary school teacher earns €56,000 - hardly low pay. (and long summer holidays).
The OECD Economic Review of Ireland in November 2009 says the percentage of the entire Irish education budget spent on teachers’ pay at primary, secondary and third level – some 75 per cent – is well above average among developed states.
The argument that we have a “well educated workforce” is often trotted oout by government - but the reality is something different. (Many of the “educated workforce” are immigrants)
The OECD report says “Ireland is close to international norms in terms of educational attainment for the resources committed.” Overall, the education outcomes at secondary level are, it points out, good relative to the OECD average, but not as good as in the best performing countries. Performance in maths and science is, it says, below that of other high-income states.
