Over 70 per cent of primary school teachers have said that they are spending longer than allocated on preparation for First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Should this be changed?
There is growing opposition to the proposed deal on cuts and reforms to public sector pay and conditions but the support of Impact and Siptu will be crucial for the government.
The Education Minister was speaking to hundreds of primary school teachers at the INTO conference today when a group stood and held banners that included slogans like “save our schools”.
The INTO will debate a motion demanding that the guarantees under the Croke Park Agreement that there will be no further pay cuts or compulsory redundancies will continue to apply – or they will ballot for industrial action.
INTO president Noreen Flynn made the comment at the union’s congress in Killarney today. She said that the Croke Park Agreement “has delivered so far”.
The teachers’ union has said that disadvantaged schools will lose hundreds of teaching posts – which will instead be reallocated to schools in better off areas.
In a surprise move, the Department of Education has doubled the number of language teachers to be cut. It says the public service recruitment embargo means that the posts must be transferred elsewhere.
AT A HIGH-profile US Senate meeting, technology giant Apple was accused of using Ireland as a ‘tax haven’.
The multinational firm, which employs 4,000 people in Ireland, reportedly avoided paying €34 billion in US taxes by negotiating a tax rate of less than 2 per cent with the Irish government – significantly lower than that nation’s 12.5 per cent statutory rate.
The Senate heard that American children are losing out on education because Apple is transferring profits to Irish subsidiaries.
However, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny has denied that Ireland is a tax haven and rejected claims that authorities had negotiated deals with multi-national companies.
So, today we want to know, what do you think? Should Ireland be tougher on multi-national companies when it comes to tax?
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