Members of the Teachers' Union of Ireland are holding protests across the country today including Waterford.
Since Lunchtime, Staff at SETU and other third-level institutes have taken to the picket lines, for what they say are failings within the Department of Higher Education.
TUI members say since the establishment of Technological Universities', a promise to have a collective approach when managing all TU's has been broken.
Speaking to WLR News at the picket line outside SETU today, Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh, SETU Waterford Union of Ireland Secretary, says everyone needs to be treated equally.
"It's a national protest that is taking place across the nation at third level regarding the failure of the Department and the Minister alongside SETU Management, to agree to conditions when managing Technological Universities.
"The agreement was surrounding the establishment of the Technological University, and how everybody would be treated equally."
TUI has described the Department’s approach as an attempt to have each TU free to operate separately, without regard or recourse to national negotiation since the establishment of Technological Universities, which were previously Institutes of Technology.
Dr. Kathleen Walsh continued by giving an example of how the agreement is being breached.
"It has to do with the fact that the TU's are being fragmented. We don't even have to look far from home, with UHW or Waterford Airport to see how regional fragmentation costs this area.
"We don't want that to continue. We want to remain in a sector that has national negotiations.
"We were told that the Minister went down to MTU in Cork and announced eleven new senior posts without any consultation with the TU at national level."
When asked by WLR News if the protests may lead to disruption to any classes in the near future, Dr. Kathleen Walsh said further guidelines from the National Executive will be needed to deter the course of any ongoing talks.
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