School children of all ages from around the country will effectively be LOCKEDOUT of class on Tuesday 24th November as a result of the school teachers decision to take strike action. All primary, second-level, further education and third level schools will be closed on the day. Unions representing teachers have announced that strike action will be taken due to the threat teachers face to PAYto PENSIONS and to Terms & Conditions of employment. I can recall only a short while back where school teachers sought the support of parents to rally with them on the streets of Dublin with regard to cut backs in education,class sizes etc and now these very same teachers have decided to lockout our kids on the 24th of November in an attempt to protect their own pay and pensions with the children's education totally forgotten about. On a personal level I have a teenager who will be sitting the junior exams in 2010. Currently we pay 20 euro to a teacher for 1 hours grinds (Irish) a week otherwise there would be no chance of getting high enough grades on what is taught at school with this very same teacher.We a very lucky Irish is the childs only slight weekness. The teacher has approximately 10 kids in every hour as I see them coming out and going in when I drop off and pick up my child. God only knows how many hours that goes on for throughout the week.

BartleDoo (Monaghan) - Posts: 389 - 13/11/2009 14:58:40    483029

why dont the parents march in protest at the sacred cows that teachers have become.

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 13/11/2009 15:14:11    483045

Poor teachers, they deserve a day off. Sure its been months since they had a real long holiday.

Puddersthecat (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1692 - 13/11/2009 15:17:03    483051

BartleDoo, i hope you got a receipt from that teacher or reported this to the taxman !! While i support the teachers i am not in favour of strikes but people are entitled to protest about their wages and living conditions. There was a programme on t.v. last night about a whole batch of trainee nurses who had to leave the country to work abroad. Millions spent educating and training them and then we export them. Soon all the professionals we are educating and training will be emigrating due to work embargoes and this will include teachers. Many young professional in the building industry had the same fate. Yet the people who caused this recession are still living in the lap of luxury here and our Government are bending over backwards to protect their interests. The whole thing is a farce !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 13/11/2009 15:24:46    483061

As long as you let the bosses/rulers divide you into a private V public sector WORKERS argument, you will be cannon fodder for them, forever in their grip.

Ever hear of the term "divide and conquer?".

So let ALL workers unite to defeat the common enemy.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 13/11/2009 15:30:57    483069

Will the teachers union pay for the extra creche costs or missed wages of the parents whose taxes pay their salaries
they should strike on the two weeks holidays they have at christmas or the public holiday they have on the 8th of December or maybe go on strike after 3.00 pm when they are finished work anyway.

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 13/11/2009 16:09:49    483105

Sub standard school buildings, sub standard resources, cuts to DEIS schools, one of the highest pupil teacher ratio in the EU............you haven't mentioned them. Cuts have been made throughout the education sector which have a direct impact on your childrens education but you don't care about that. You just hear what you wanna hear and have a go. If you disagree with the strike thats fine but you should at least find out what you're against.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13830 - 13/11/2009 16:27:55    483120

Patrique, very well said sir !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 13/11/2009 17:05:16    483160

A former member of my own parish though living in Dublin for 30/40 years earns €175k per annum and will soon retire on a pension of circa 80% of this.
Not saying who he is but it is pertinenet to the discussion

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 13/11/2009 17:22:51    483167

Ruanua, would there be much point to strike if it did not occur during normal working hours?

omaghredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 3656 - 13/11/2009 18:15:52    483201

Omagh There is no point to the strike no matter when it happens all it does is take a days education off the children, causes hassle to parents who have to miss work. The EU is giving Ireland leeway on its Defecit/GDP because and only because it says it will cut expenditure by 4bn. Anything else and IRL Inc is fxxxxed. The only big hits are public sector pay/social welfare and Child benefit - No point in reducing public sector headcount because the redundancy/Pension/Dole cost is probably higher. The clearly need to freeze input so like it or not they have to cut public sector pay there is no alternative that will give a big hit. Im not self serving on this I think they also need to cut child benefit for higher earners- Last year I got 10,000 in child / preschool allowances etc and to be honest it was'nt the difference between the wanes going hungry or not. I put it into a college fund which is not what it is intended for. If the teachers feel strongly enough go up to Leinster house some evening and chain themselves to the railings but don't take a day off on taxpayers time. Job for life- good pension work 9-3 approx. 80 days holiday - Decent pay - there is many that would give their eyetooth for that.

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 13/11/2009 19:14:02    483241

Patrique, have you ever hear of the saying"An injury to one is a concern to all" I'm quite sure you have well let me say this the individual who first uttered those words would turn in his grave if he could now see how the fat cat union leaders who in good times turned their backs on the individual worker when they cosily sat around the table with employers their representatives and the government and subscribed to the 1990 Industrial Relations Act. I was a member of SIPTU for 15 years and prior to that I was a member of the ITGWU and my advice to anyone contemplating joining a union is DONT do it. I can clearly remember a bloke approaching me shortly after I commenced employment in one particular company,he shoved a union membership application form under my nose and told me to sign it. I was young back then and I didn't know what a union even was. I was giving a clear ultimatum by the bloke to sign the form or no one would work with me. I subsequently found out that the bloke was the head shop steward within the company who I may add always did what he liked, he did very little work and always got away with it as someone like myself would end up doing his work. The Unions bullying days are over as is its days of bullying members who may not agree with some of their policies and practices. I watched Jack O'Connor of SIPTU on TV with Pat Kenny a couple of weeks back and what I witnessed that night confirmed everything I already knew about him. I can honestly say that if this man and his cronies are not decommissioned very soon then this country and its people will suffer the repercussions of their reckless behavior for many years to come. We cannot allow our country to be brought down into the gutter when the reality is that they do not have a mandate to do so. The vast majority of union members in this country do not understand what the hell is going on 99.9% of the time. Many of them are subtly brained washed by the union leaders with the remainder being taken care of by the bullies in their respective employments. Many union members have no option but to go with the flow for fear that they may become isolated.

BartleDoo (Monaghan) - Posts: 389 - 13/11/2009 20:08:48    483299

Would you reckon ALL the teacher's are doing tutoring with children behind the taxman's back ??????

Duffy89 (Wexford) - Posts: 3320 - 13/11/2009 20:24:02    483312

Sorry I said that wrong

Would you reckon ALL the teacher's are doing tutoring behind the taxman's back ???????

Duffy89 (Wexford) - Posts: 3320 - 13/11/2009 20:25:17    483313

BartleDoo, you write all about your unfair treatment at the hands of the unions and you then go and fork-out 20 euro a time to a teacher and then complain about it on here !! It is time you started to speak up for yourself to the actual people you are dealing with if you don't agree with them !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 13/11/2009 21:44:09    483353

13/11/2009 20:25:17
Duffy89
County: Wexford
Posts: 1964

483313
Sorry I said that wrong

Would you reckon ALL the teacher's are doing tutoring behind the taxman's back ???????
___________

You're still wrong Duffy, there should be no apostraphe in "teachers". Oh, and there shouldn't be a space before a question mark either.

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 13/11/2009 21:55:33    483360

Duffy89 I assume your question was directed at me in the event it was not I would like to give an answer anyhow. I personally don't believe that ALL teachers are doing grinds. I wont accuse anyone of tax evasion as that would only be speculation on my behalf and therefore it would be wrong for me to do so. Regardless of whether tax is paid or not anyone who can earn 200 euro an hour for two possibly three hours a night for two or three nights a week on top of their teachers salary cannot be be badly off. I would also like to say many of these teachers particularly the women teachers you will find are married to other public service workers as many of them meet their spouse as a result of the jobs their in.

BartleDoo (Monaghan) - Posts: 389 - 13/11/2009 21:58:08    483364

13/11/2009 21:55:33
nocky
County: Wexford
Posts: 581

483360 13/11/2009 20:25:17
Duffy89
County: Wexford
Posts: 1964

483313
Sorry I said that wrong

Would you reckon ALL the teacher's are doing tutoring behind the taxman's back ???????
___________

You're still wrong Duffy, there should be no apostraphe in "teachers". Oh, and there shouldn't be a space before a question mark either.


You sound happy,not much going down in your life anyway

Duffy89 (Wexford) - Posts: 3320 - 13/11/2009 22:27:46    483387

Cavan_Slasher, what I wrote was not about me personally I wrote about what went on and what goes on today within unions BULLYING. You say you support the teachers but you don't approve of strikes a bit contradictory do you not think. I don't support the teachers decision to strike and yes I will be at the school on the 24th to let them know my feelings if indeed the strike does go ahead.

I will personally feel let down if our local national school closes on the 24th mainly because of the efforts put in by parents and teachers and the community as a whole to make the school what it is today. We made the school through hard work, fund raising campaigning etc etc we have a breakfast club for children who's parents go to work early we have after school care for children who's parent's may not be able to collect their children directly after school finishes therefore I cannot see why this school of ours will be bullied into closing on the 24th.

BartleDoo (Monaghan) - Posts: 389 - 13/11/2009 22:48:32    483403

Day off for me! I'll be on here all day.... And my Parent/teacher meeting got canceled which is even better!

Royal_Girl2k9 (Meath) - Posts: 2107 - 13/11/2009 23:00:24    483414