Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) delegates have passed two emergency resolutions responding to members' concerns over the cost-of-living crisis.
Primary teachers in Killarney discussed the motions shortly after INTO General Secretary John Boyle Boyle warned the Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton of "a firestorm of industrial strife" if warnings in relation to outstanding monies owed through local bargaining are not addressed urgently in addition to concerns about teachers’ pay overall in 2026, and beyond, at a time of spiraling inflation.
The first emergency resolution passed noted "with grave concern the most recent inflation figure of 3.6% to end of March 2026 and predictions of increasing inflation throughout this year due to the ongoing geopolitical unrest with its subsequent negative impact on the living standards of teachers."
A warning of a ballot for industrial action - up to and including strike action – was also included should any successor to the current public service pay agreement be unacceptable to INTO members.
In a second emergency resolution delegates expressed growing concerns in relation to general school funding and called for Government to provided additional funding akin to 'costs-of-living grants’ for schools as the price of utilities, including light, and heating, continue to rise rapidly along with other day-to-day running costs as a result of the conflict in the Gulf.
INTO delegates have mandated their union to campaign to encourage all schools and management bodies to adopt ethical procurement policies.
They also mandated their union to work towards ensuring that school tendering processes for the purchase of goods and services are consistent with the principles of UN Sustainable Development Goals and other ethical principles.
Delegates also agreed their union should join calls from within the GAA "to demand an immediate end to [insurance company] Allianz's sponsorship of GAA activities, in particular its sponsorship of Cumann na mBunscol."
Cumann na mBunscol is a schools Gaelic Games federation which is led by teacher volunteers.
The resolution - debated during a private session with media excluded from the hall - also noted "the continued failure of Government to pass the Occupied Territories Bill to include services".
In a statement following the debate, the INTO said that major concerns had been expressed regarding procurement practices in schools, in particular insurance.
The resolution refers to findings of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which have linking Allianz to investments in companies involved with Israel's actions in Gaza, including weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.
The resolution noted: "the ongoing presence of other multinational corporations associated with human rights abuses within the educational system."
In a statement, Allianz said, "Claims made by certain campaigners are demonstrably false, materially overstated, and in some cases involve serious allegations that are not supported by any evidence.
"It is neither accurate nor appropriate to attribute these allegations to Allianz, and we reject them in full," it added.
The INTO said the resolution was passed "with overwhelming support by the 900-plus delegates" present.
Teacher Anita Hogan, who seconded the motion, said Cumann na mBunscol was made up of teachers.
"It’s simply not acceptable that such a large private investor in Israeli government bonds is the main sponsor of a children’s competition.
"A corporation that gives money to an army that tortures children, maims children, leaves babies to die in unplugged incubators; that targets children. That sees every child in Gaza and the West Bank down the viewfinder of a rifle," she said.
She said no money was better than any money from a corporation "as heavily invested in a genocidal army as Allianz is."
INTO General Secretary John Boyle said the INTO was determined to use its voice to end human rights abuses.
"We need a Government that shows the courage once demonstrated by the Dunnes Stores workers who helped bring an end to apartheid in South Africa – a Government willing to enact the Occupied Territories Bill and show that Ireland will not be complicit in human rights’ violations", he said.
The co-founder of the BDS movement, Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti, addressed INTO delegates this evening.
Earlier, Minister Naughton was greeted when arriving at the conference by protesting teachers who called on Government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill. The Minister stopped to engage with one of the protesters as she made her way into the Gleneagle Hotel.
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INTO backs industrial action on restoration of allowances
The INTO has backed a call for industrial action if the Government does not honour a commitment to restore special allowances abolished during austerity.
As the current public sector pay deal approaches its end, pay and the shape of its successor is among topics under scrutiny by delegates at the congress.
Delegates and the union leadership are calling for substantial pay increases to help teachers address the soaring cost of living.
Teachers need a substantial pay settlement from any new pay deal to manage the impact of rising living costs, the president of the INTO told delegates yesterday.
Giving the issue pointed importance, Anne Horan began her opening speech to this year's gathering with references to pay and the falling purchasing power of teachers.
She said that the failure of the Government to "keep its side" of the last pay agreement, in failing to restore special allowances for teachers under a local bargaining process was "a massive breach of faith" that had left a sour taste in the mouths of INTO members.
The current pay deal is due to expire in June and talks on a successor are expected to begin in coming weeks.
The INTO congress will run until tomorrow and motions on pay and on the failure to secure the restoration of a range of allowances for teachers will be the subject of debate.
Allowances for teachers who have additional qualifications or who work in Gaeltacht or island schools were among those cut. The union has been in negotiations to have them restored as part of local bargaining under the current pay deal.
Ms Horan said teachers had expected the issue to have been settled by last September.
The union will debate calls for a ballot for industrial action should the issue not be settled by the end of this month, and for a penalty clause to be included in any future pay deals should the state not uphold "its obligation to INTO members" in this regard.
Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) delegates began their gatherings today, in Wexford and Kilkenny respectively, with both events running until Thursday.
Minister Naughton also addressed ASTI delegates today.
Read More: 5 concerns teachers will raise at trade union conferences
Former president Michael D Higgins is also due to address INTO delegates tomorrow.
With negotiations on a new national wage agreement due to begin in the coming weeks, teachers' pay is among a number of key issues of concern to teachers this year; as are cost-of-living pressures, teacher workload, and, at second level, changes to leaving certificate subjects and, in particular, how students are to be assessed.
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