Tipperary adult education tutors demand improvements to their pay and conditions at Clonmel protest

Adult education tutors appealed to the Government to deliver long awaited improvements in pay and conditions they are fighting for years to secure at a protest outside Tipperary Education & Training Board’s offices in Clonmel last Friday.

The hour-long protest at the gates of Tipperary ETB’s administrative offices on the Western Road was the second national day of protest action in the space of two months organised by the Adult Education Tutors Organisation.

South Tipperary adult education tutors were joined at the protest by some of the county’s senior politicians including the Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Pat English (WUAG), Independent TD Mattie McGrath and Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne, who all spoke out strongly in support of their campaign.

Also read: 

Tipperary's adult education tutors to protest today over their pay and conditions

The protest was organised to put pressure on the Govenment to finally resolve the adult education tutors’ claim for a proper public service contract with an incremental salary scale, recognition of prior service and improved conditions like pay during college holidays. They are also seeking parity of pay for those recruited since 2011, who are on lower wages than longer serving colleagues.

The Labour Court recommended in March 2020 that the Department of Education assess how much of a budget it could provide to address the tutors’ claim and make an offer regarding staff and pay levels based on that budget. The Adult Education Tutors Organisation’s protests have been prompted by their members’ increasing frustration at the delay in putting forward the offer regarding their claim.

It’s currently being considered by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform.

One of the protesting tutors Marie Clancy, who teaches adult literacy in Clonmel and Killenaule, said she works with people whose experience of schooling wasn’t good and who have returned to education.

“I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to give students a second chance and I would like to think I am a positive impact on their lives.

“I am working as an adult education tutor 15 years and one of my colleagues who is good with numbers told me I am 40-45% worse off than when I started in 2008 because there is no access to incremental pay increases.”

Marie estimates her pension will be very small due to the way their pay and conditions are structured.

She points out Tipperary ETB has been very proactive in putting in place Contracts of Indefinite Duration for its adult education tutors that gives them guaranteed teaching hours. Other ETBs around the country have not be so proactive and some tutors return to work every September not knowing what teaching hours they have.

Marie said the summer months are long when you are depending on social welfare and she points out she still has to be ready to attend planning meetings in August for the new academic year. Marie said she was also protesting for those tutors who started work after 2011 and are on a lower pay, which she considers very unfair.

Adult literacy and community education tutor Breda Lonergan from Newcastle said their unions achieved quite a bit in securing Contracts of Indefinite Duration and sick pay for them some years ago but at the same time their pay and conditions lag significantly behind others in the education sector.

“A colleague said to me that we are the Cinderella of the education services. That captured it well,” she said.
Tipperary ETB’s Director of Further Education & Training Colin Cummins visited the adult education tutors during the protest.

“We value the work they do and we think it's important they know that and see that from us,” he said

“Our position is that there is a national process underway and we are supportive of it and looking forward to its outcome. We hope it will benefit our tutors, our learners and us.

“We would hope it’s done sooner rather than later,” he added.