Adult Literacy Tutors working for Louth Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB) staged a protest on Friday last, April 21, outside ETB offices in King Street, Drogheda as part of a national dispute.
The protest took place to highlight the long-running campaign to improve the pay and working conditions of Adult Literacy Tutors across the country.
Many Adult Literacy Tutors are paid at an hourly rate, are not paid for school holidays, and have to sign on to social welfare five times a year. They have received no service-related increments despite working in the ETBs for many years and have little or no job security as hours vary from term to term.
Most tutors are paid an unqualified rate per hour despite being highly qualified and many are registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland.
In 2020 The Labour Court recommended that an offer be made to tutors to address the situation but despite many promises and long delays tutors are still waiting for a public service contract with a sector-wide incremental salary scheme and recognition of prior service and qualifications.
That is why they took to the streets on Friday, April 21, demanding that their situation be addressed by the Department of Education.
Louth Labour TD, Ged Nash joined the workers at their Drogheda protest o n Friday to express his solidarity and said he fully supports the ETB Adult Education Tutors and their fight for respect and for the right to decent working conditions.
“I was privileged to express my solidarity with them at their demonstration in King Street, last Friday afternoon, as part of a national programme of action” Deputy Nash said.
“They are qualified and professional educators and their pay, terms and conditions should at the very least, reflect those of other who work in our education system.”
“These Adult Literacy Tutors do valuable work and they must have their situation regularised” he added..
“We are told that proposals to resolve the long-standing problem are imminent from Minister Simon Harris’s department.
“Those proposals must be just, fair and equitable for them to pass muster. The time for action is now, these important workers cannot be made to wait any longer for a solution.”
