Schools could face potential disruption over the coming months as teachers are set to consider industrial action over their loss of priority for Covid-19 vaccination.
The Irish Times reports that all three teacher unions look set to debate emergency motions at their annual conferences beginning today, seeking ballots on industrial action within weeks.
While unions have said that any industrial action will not affect the planned reopening of schools on April 12th, it could disrupt the current academic year at primary level or the new school year in September at secondary level.
Motions on industrial action will be debated at the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI), the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) annual conferences today.
The INTO is understood to be pushing for potential industrial action in May or June. Secondary teachers’ unions are reluctant to disrupt the Leaving Cert and say any action would likely be early in the new academic year.
Resisting pressure
The Government is resisting pressure to move teachers up Ireland's vaccination priority list, following its decision last week to proceed on the basis of age rather than prioritise key workers.
Senior Government sources have indicated that a reversal of the revised priority list is unlikely, with several saying the new list is the “fastest and fairest way” to roll out vaccines.
According to senior coalition sources, many other groups of essential workers have worked throughout the pandemic and could make claims for early vaccination if the Government bows to teachers’ demands.
Teachers’ unions, along with representative bodies for gardaí, want the Government to introduce a parallel vaccination process which would see those in frontline professions receive their vaccines in parallel to the general public.
A spokesman for Minister for Education Norma Foley – who is due to address the INTO on Tuesday – said it remained her position that the vaccination programme should be guided by public health experts.
