INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan warned the crowds that a ‘‘cowardly government’’, which had caved in to powerful vested interests, could expect much unrest in the year ahead. 

Speaking to the Sunday Business Post, Ms Nunan was equally unequivocal about her expectation that 2010 would be a year marred by protests and industrial disputes.

‘‘The public sector unions recognise that their ability to do business with their employer - in this case the government - is seriously damaged ... We have not moved off the battlefield at all and 2010 certainly will be characterised by a significant amount of conflict between ourselves and our employers."

All unions have a mandate for additional industrial action and the INTO executive is working out a schedule of potential work to rule areas for the New Year, she said.

‘‘It is very regrettable, but I think that it is going to create a climate of non-cooperation, a climate of hostility between employers and employees. We have been out of that space for a very long time, but it is the government that is pushing us back into it.

‘‘We will absolutely be working in collaboration with our colleagues in the other teaching unions and the wider public sector unions to mount a campaign of opposition."

Ms Nunan said that the bona fides of public sector unions in being willing to engage in a solution to cut the public sector pay bill had been ‘‘thrown out the window entirely’’ by the government, following the breakdown of the public sector pay discussions at government buildings in the days leading up to Budget 2010.

‘‘And now, the sentiment of the current minister that he will impose another pay cut if we don’t follow suit with transformation can only be described as inflammatory, even before he has the legislation passed on this one. That could not create any kind of constructive environment between employer and employee."

She also said that teachers were ‘‘angered’’ and ‘‘offended’’ by the anti-public sector sentiment surrounding the pay cuts announced in the budget.

"The national bashing does not reflect the good relationship teachers have with their local communities. The level of discourse has been at a polarised level... I think it’s been whipped up, to be honest...

‘‘The divisiveness has been exploited, particularly by the likes of ISME and IBEC and the government themselves. I think they have used those as part of their justification for what has really been an agenda to drive down wages. I think our colleagues in the private sector will see after January that that agenda will transfer over to the private sector...

‘‘I would think any fair-minded person in the public, if they took the time to examine the sequence of events, would see that the unions behaved in a very constructive way.

‘‘They would also understand the level of anger among 300,000 employees who found themselves getting a significant cut to their pay twice in 12 months."

‘‘Without a shadow of doubt, the number one issue on the minds of all of our members is the issue of pay and pensions. I think teachers are reeling with the shock of what has happened since the pension levy right through to what is going to happen on January with the impact of this [public sector pay reductions]...
           
‘‘I don’t think any of us who were crystal-ball gazing this time last year would have foreseen quite how dramatic and draconian the impact would be on public servants and teachers."

‘‘Teachers, along with everyone else, were contributing on the income levies, the health levies and had forgone promotions as a result of the moratorium on new posts. So in total, it could be anywhere in the order of 17 to 20 per cent, which is a fairly dramatic pay cut by any standards...

"...There definitely has been an increase in engagement from teachers who would have no previous connection with the union, but now recognise what the unions are trying to achieve. There is nothing like a crisis to improve participation...

"It politicises people - people recognise how decisions are made and what are the agendas behind them. I think suddenly people are recognising the agendas and are questioning them. It’s always healthy when people start to interrogate those types of decisions," Ms Nunan said. (Source: Sunday Business Post)