Graduations ‘in jeopardy’ as college staff set to strike

STUDENTS’ graduations are a ‘point of concern’ due to industrial action being taken by staff in Institutes of Technology across the country.

Graduations at these institutions could be at risk if an agreement between the staff union Fórsa and the Department of Education and Skills is not reached soon.

Library, clerical and administrative staff at 14 Institutes of Technology stopped communication on October 15 in an effort to force job evaluations so staff are paid appropriately for the work they do.

Dr Joseph Ryan, CEO of the Technological Higher Education Association, said: ‘The impact has not been overly difficult at this stage, but we are conscious if it [the strikes] goes on much longer, it will inevitably have consequences for students.

‘Some graduations are under way and going well but there are a number coming up at the end of October and early November and that is a point of concern to students, staff and their families.’

However, Fórsa denied the action would impact on students in this way, saying: ‘It is low-level industrial action designed to cause minimum disruption to students but maximum to higher authorities.

‘I could not possibly speculate as to how the conclusion it would affect graduation was reached.’

Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) student president Aaron Buckley said graduations would be disrupted, but offered support to Fórsa staff.

In the past decade, staff have taken on additional pressures as the number of students rose, but they were not granted pay rises to match the increased workload.

In a letter of notice to the colleges, Fórsa official Stella Griffin said that after ‘three years’ of raising this issue, the union believes it has ‘no other choice but to resort to industrial action’. She said Fórsa members have ‘exercised enormous patience’, but have received a ‘woefully inadequate’ response to their complaints.