Dublin North City Staff Rep and New Member Evening

INTO Dublin North City Branch, of District 14, is holding it's Staff Rep and New Member's evening this Monday 4th February at 5pm in the Teacher's Club Parnell Square.

This evening has been organised in Dublin North City Branch for many reasons. Among them is the desire to connect with, thank and engage personally with all Staff Reps from all schools in the Branch. Recent years have brought many challenges to the door of education and Primary School Teachers as a result of Government led austerity measures.

Teacher's Pay and Conditions, funding for Education and Supports and other issues have been attacked. The INTO has mounted campaigns against these attacks, and Staff Reps are the feet, hands and interaction catalysts for the union on the ground in each school. They relay messages, deal with queries and questions, rally people to attend meetings and marches and maintain a healthy heartbeat of trade unionism amongst their staff.

On the night we would like to thank them, help them where needs occur and connect and interact even more.

For NQTs and New Members, the evening provides an opportunity to meet other new members, meet other members from the branch, become familiar with the branches structure, the INTO and how it works and of course any other queries and questions will be answered.

The evening will begin at 5pm with tea/coffee and sandwiches, and at 5.30pm interaction regarding the branch and union will begin. This is not a meeting, but a gathering in order to strengthen further the connections with memebers and welcome new members into the branch.

We look forward to seeing you there on Monday!
(directions to the Teacher's Club, 35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, can be found here)

New Pension Scheme: NQTs and 26 Week Rule

Since the beginning of this year (January 2013) a new pension scheme has come into effect for new entrants to the public sector.

This was strongly rejected by the INTO as an unfair and larcenous pension scheme. The value of one's pension is based on career averaged earnings as a result of this new scheme, and due to the formula used the result is that the value of a new entrant's pension since January is 20% less. The public servant in question will in effect pay more into their pension fund than they will receive back on retirement.

This was researched and proven in independent research commissioned by the INTO, ASTI and TUI, and published in the Trident Report. (available at www.into.ie.)

Those teachers who had previously been employed by the Dept. of Education and Skills before January 2013, will remain on the 2004 scheme, and their conditions remain unchanged regarding pensions, unless they break the '26 week Rule'.

This rule would dictate that any teacher who has been in the service for any amount of time, retains their pension conditions UNLESS, they break service for 26 weeks or more. ie. they do not receive a pay check for 26 weeks or more, and will be considered a 'new entrant' on return to employment in the DES.

For example, if a teacher graduated in 2011, worked until June 2012, has been subbing in this current school year, but since Christmas has not worked a day due to various circumstances, they are at risk of loosing their pensions entitlements.

If their last day working (subbing, temporary contract, maternity leave etc.) was December 21st 2012, and they now decided to move abroad for 6 months to work, the 26 week rule will take effect.
When they return from their 6 month break, they will therefore be treated as a 'new entrant' and would come under the new Career Averaged Pension Scheme (20% less value).

So how do you combat this?
1. Ensure your service with the DES does not become idle for 26 weeks or more.

How do I do this?
1. If you have worked in 2012, 2011, 2010, etc, then you must not let 26 weeks lapse before receiving a pay check from the DES. Therefore, even one subbing day ensures this will not happen.

'I'm travelling abroad for the rest of this school year, and do not intend working in a school here...What do I do?'

• If it is envisaged that you will not work in a school here this year, it is strongly advised that you make arrangements in order to do one day or a period of subbing before June 2013. If not, 26 weeks will lapse, and you will be considered a 'new entrant' when you return to teaching here.

'I'm subbing now, but work is hard to come by...What do I do?'

• Subbing may be hard to come by, but as long as you do not go 26 weeks without one day's work, you will be OK, so one days subbing is enough, but obviously plenty more is ideal for obvious reasons!

Hopefully this will clear up some confusion about the new pension scheme, and who will be influenced and effected by it's callous and larcenous measures.

Branch AGMs and Croke Park Deal

Welcome back everybody, and we hope 2013 has been good to you so far.
Just to let you know, we hope to meet in early February. With the Allowance battle early this school year, many meetings took place, and we hope that this next meeting will be focused on NQT priorities for Congress, and the Croke Park Extension you will have all heard about of late.

Just some updates below on upcoming events and issues

Croke Park Agreement Extension and Branch AGMs:
The Government announced late last year that it wishes to save a further €1bn across the Public Sector through the Croke Park Agreement. This will be in addition to the planned savings of over €3bn.
This will bring new challenges to our pay and conditions. Today, the public sector unions, including the INTO, met with the Government representatives, and will meet again tomorrow with a focus on education. Union leaders exited the talks with a sober outlook for members. In particular some areas which are up for discussion are further 'Croke Park Hours', increment freezes, pay cuts, and cuts to non-core pay.
None of these are final, nor are they specific yet to one group of public sector workers, nor one particular group of teachers.
However, as we are well aware, the original and existing Croke Park Agreement has attacked and decimated NQTs and new entrants in many ways.

To ensure this does not happen again, while ensuring that pay and conditions of all teachers is protect, NQTs, NPTs should have their voices heard.
The next event at which you can have your voice heard, stand up for your pay and conditions, and hear the voices of others, will be your Branch AGMs. You will be informed by your Branch Secretary of the venue and time, but also they are available on the INTO website here.

These will be difficult deliberations, and any agreement extension will have to go to ballot of members. Despite the difficulties that our union faces, this must only be a spur and driving force for us to stand up for all our members and ensure that the Government cannot inflict further casualties unfairly on Public Sector workers, over half of whom earn less than €50,000 a year.

Keep up to date at www.into.ie/ROI

Lastly, at your Branch AGM motions for this year's Congress in the Silver Springs Hotel, Cork, will be discussed and deliberated over in order to give them a priority rating. If you have been involved in wording motions and proposing them it is important that you attend. If not, it is still vitally important as each view, interpretation and opinion is vital in order for our Union's compass and direction be driven by the members.