Don Ryan slams the government and Coughlan at TUI Conference

national | education | news report

Wednesday April 07, 2010 14:13

by Miriam Cotton

Coughlan greeted with stony silence

The TUI voted unanimously yesterday to reject the Croke Park pay deal. This morning Mary Coughlan gave a speech at the union's annual conference during which she made no reference to yesterday's vote nor did she take any questions from the floor. When she finished, a union member at the front bobbed up beside her wearing a Sean Fitzpatrick face-mask. Members treated her to total silence both before and after her speech. In contrast Ryan was greeted with constant rounds of applause and standing ovations throughout his speech.

Points from Don Ryans speech:

He lambasted employers who he said are making rogue decisions about contracts of employment against European and Irish law while the government stands idly by.

He pointed to other European countries where 90% of teachers have permanent contracts and Denmark in particular where 97% are on full time permanent contracts. In contrast Ireland is the worst country in the EU with just 67% of teachers on permanent contracts.

He pointed out that there is no dedicated further education section and strategy at the Department of Education.

When he had finished talking about education he then addressed Coughlan in her role as Tanaiste. He said:

"The problems of the country are totally the fault of the government. None of you has had the decency to admit your huge mistakes.'

He spoke of the 'educational treason' the government were now comitting.

In the contexty of all of this, talk of a smart economy was nothing more than rhetoric which sounded stupid, he said.

Ryan spoke of 'the unscrupulous characters your government has given refuge to' adding that 'not one civilised country would tolerate this'.

Ryan said we needed 'an education system where each learner has equal chances and one which eliminates cronyism and elitism.'

He said we need to stop carving up the education system and that 'we are not going to allow any futher imposition son teachers and lecturers.'

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Comments (17 of 17)

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Forgot to say

Wed Apr 07, 2010 14:18

Don Ryan is President of the TUI and the conference is taking place in Ennis. ASTI have this morning also voted unanimously to reject the Croke Park deal.

http://tui.biznet-servers.com/About_TUI/about_tui.html

Reality Check.

by Evil Capitalist.

Wed Apr 07, 2010 14:37

Don Ryan seeks only to defend his own trade union member's pay in a bankrypt country.

The private sector who create Ireland's wealth do not scream and shout.

No safe jobs in the private sector.......the people who pay the wages of the whining Public Sector.

.

Too late!!

by Rational Ecologist

Wed Apr 07, 2010 15:27

Where was this analysis ten years ago when we needed it? Unions are a shambles are a part of the cosy-consensus that has us where we are. Things are far from perfect for teachers, however, we should be trying to protect the most vulnerable. Parents need to get more involved in their children's education.
This country is on the brink of meltdown. I wish the teachers unions would have been more vocal in the good times.
They-the unions-let down the part-time and newly-qualified teachers.
Benchmarking was a disaster.
Time to end the Planet-Berties thinking( and that includes the unions).

Busts Never Last.

by Optimist.

Wed Apr 07, 2010 15:55

There is hope Rational Ecologist.

Capitalism really does "boom and bust" as Marx described. Capitalist busts are temporary.

2010 is so different from 1910..........the busts ,and wars, all forgotten.

Ireland will be rich again in 10 years.

I look forward to the fantastic scientific and technological achievements which I know will occur in the next hundred years.

Irish Times

Wed Apr 07, 2010 16:05

The anti public sector Irish Times and Irish Examiner are obviously very cross with the recalcitrant TUI. Coughlan's speeches to ASTI and INTO got prominent billing immediately they were reported over the last two days. Especially the bits about how there would have to be more cuts. She was somewhat humiliated by the strength of feeling expressed at tthis morning's TUI conference and sure enough, reports of that are taking a secondary place in the 'breaking news section' of the online versions of both papers.

Also their version of events claim that Coughlan was jostled as she left the conference. Sources present say they have no idea what that can refer to. Some people showed her some anti NAMA placards and that was it, according to them. Otherwise she was greeted with stone cold silence. So where do reports of 'angry scenes' and 'heated' debate come from. An imaginary conference held in the minds of the journalists? Or what?

Meanwhile the Irish Examiner are conducting a loaded poll on their breaking news page. the question asks whether 'the trade unions should accept the deal they brokered with the Labour Relations Court' - neatly overlooking the fact that none of the thousnads of members had any part in brokering the deal and that the union leadership, unlike the government and its voters, have to consult the members for permission to accept the deal. There is nothing the Irish Examiner would like more than to run an editorial claiming that the majority of people are disgusted by the public sector and the trade union membership. Scroll down at link to vote

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/

Broke Country.

by Smart Alec

Wed Apr 07, 2010 16:20

Miriam doesn' t seem to realise that the taxpayer who pays her wages is broke.

Not just broke.

About 40% of her wages has to be borrowed from foreigners.
.

don't blame fellow workers...

by private sector worker

Thu Apr 08, 2010 03:36

because you're boss has treated you badly. It is the workers who create the wealth and the public sector suplies the infrastructure. Imagine 'private sector' bosses paying for the full education of their staff! I say expand the state, take over the profit making industries and let the bosses and their lackeys leave the coutry, and then everyone will be 'public sector' workers with good pay and conditions, there will be no speculators tho. The so called 'risk takers' can gamble and be bailed out somewhere else.

What Don Ryan actually said at the TUI conference

Thu Apr 08, 2010 09:57

Mainstream news reports must be terrified of reporting Don Ryan's speech to Mary Coughlan, there's so little sign of it in any of the news reports. This deserved front page headlines but we wont see that in what passes for our news media.

Full text here:

http://www.tui.ie/Standing_ovations_for_TUI_Presidents_....html

Grand words are all too easy and all too common.

Thu Apr 08, 2010 10:47

I wonder how many of the delegates voted for FF at the last election. That might have been a useful question for Don to ask. I totally agree with what he said, however, there is an issue of credibility and closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Action is what is needed but not on purely narrow grounds.
I'll take to the streets for a new Republic but how many of those in the room did vote FF? In my opinion, they have no right to complain as they are getting exactly what they voted for.
Teachers' unions want better conditions for their members-we need to be sceptical of noble gas-bagging of their President.

Fianna Fail

by Peter

Thu Apr 08, 2010 16:47

What is it to you if they voted for Fianna Fail or not? The government have had to make tough decisions and it is our duty to work together. I'm a civil servant and can you highlight an alternative that will get us through these times. Fianna Fail are an excellent party and what alternative are you offering? I don't think they will be heeding the keyboard commies on Indymedia. Even posting this is giving you credibility.

Relax Peter

Thu Apr 08, 2010 17:43

Ractional ecologist is on your side, though he is pretending not to be. Read his post again.

I admire your chutzpah going onto ANY public forum to claim Fianna Fail are a great party etc etc. Of course you can only do that anonymously...

Hiding.

by On The Dole.

Thu Apr 08, 2010 17:48

"Of course you can only do that anonymously........"

And the Public Sector still wonder why the private sector despises them.

despise?

by mikj

Thu Apr 08, 2010 19:36

You mean to say the ENTIRE public service is wondering this? And the ENTIRE private sector "despises" the ENTIRE public sector?

Or perhaps you're just spouting crap?

yes you are

by a real unemployed worker

Sat Apr 10, 2010 20:40

talking crap, i'm on the dole (after many years hard graft) and 100 % support the unionised workers. I only wish I had been. 'On the dole' you are either a liar or a complete and utter idiot.

I Wish.

Sat Apr 10, 2010 21:34

My VHI payments have just run out.

I got six months grace from the company which shut down.

Around €900 per year is the new bill.

That is nearly 5 weeks dole.

I have a first class honours degree in electronics engineering.
(One of the toughest jobs in the world.)

Wish I were in the Irish Public Service.

Easy life.

so why didn't you...

Sun Apr 11, 2010 11:41

join the Irish Public Service when there were a lot of jobs going there? Or is the public service only attractive in a recession?

You had the same opportunities to go for a public service job as anyone else did.

Any by the way, do you still maintain that the ENTIRE private sector DESPISES the entire private sector? Or are you really saying that you are angry at losing your job and can't bring yourself to hold the private enterprise based economic system responsible?

in reply to fianna fail

by gerard murphy

Tue Apr 13, 2010 20:27

fianna fail is an excellent party!!!!!! in fairness that statement is gubu!! the fianna fail guy should know what i mean by that!! is this the same party that gave us corruption ,on a mass scale , two corrupt taoisaigh, haughey and ahern, corrupt minister of justice , ray burke and they are only the ones that were caught, and of course now we know what was for sale in the tent in galway, ah yes special tax rates 20% for their corrupt builder developer friends, while cowen dined with the criminals at anglo and then cried in the dail when gilmore questioned his patriotism, i have news for ye so called fianna fail patriots, Connolly and Pearse must be turning in their graves

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Don Ryan slams the government and Coughlan at TUI Conference

Comments (17 of 17)