A teachers’ strike over the issue of a two-tier pay system is set to go ahead on Tuesday and close hundreds of second level schools across the State. Talks involving the public service agreement oversight group and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) ended on Friday evening without a breakthrough. In addition, it is understood that upwards of 40 of the country’s 380 voluntary secondary schools will also be affected. This has forced the closure of some voluntary secondary schools on health and safety grounds, even in cases where a relatively small number of teachers are TUI members. However, similar sanctions were not imposed on members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) following their strike last year.

Source: The Irish Times January 31, 2020 13:54 UTC