Quinn: Govt standing by Croke Park Agreement

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has said the Government has no plans to change the terms of the Croke Park Agreement.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has said the Government has no plans to change the terms of the Croke Park Agreement.

It follows a warning from the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) yesterday that industrial action could be on the cards if there is a breach in the provisions of the deal, and pay cuts to teachers follow.

Minister Quinn is expected to get another frosty reception when he addresses the TUI conference in Wexford later.

Yesterday he was jeered, heckled and laughed at during the INTO and ASTI conferences.

But speaking this morning he said the Government is standing by the Croke Park deal.

"The Croke Park agreement - which is working, and which has delivered industrial peace and productivity - is an agreement between the Government and the social partners," Minister Quinn said.

"It has a fixed term and as far as I am concerned, the Government has no plans to change the terms of the Croke Park Agreement.

"What we do want, of course, is to maximise the productivity which it is delivering."

Meanwhile around 450 secondary school teachers continue their annual conference in Cork today.

The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) will debate motions on the Croke Park deal this morning.

They will also discuss the conditions for new teachers. The union says newly qualified teachers are being paid almost a third less this year than they were two years ago, and many can't get permanent positions.

General Secretary Pat King said this is unfair treatment.

"I think there's a public perception out there that if you're a teacher, you have a well-paid, permanent and pensionable job," he said.

"Well for young teachers it's not well-paid and it's definitely not permanent."

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