Bríd Smith Demands Action on Adult Education Tutors' Contracts
Bríd Smith raised concerns about Education and Training Board adult education tutors, calling for urgent action on messy contracts and poor pay. She announced she will join a protest outside Simon Harris's office and urged other TDs to attend.
Labour Court recommendation
Since 2020 the Labour Court recommendation on sorting out contracts and pay scales for ETB adult education tutors has not been implemented, Bríd Smith said, and she criticised the department for leaving the recommendation unacted on.
Working conditions and concerns
Smith described tutors as fine, dedicated and committed but working under messy contracts and poor salaries, with some required to sign on during holiday periods. She emphasised that these tutors provide an essential service, largely to people failed by the education system in childhood.
Planned protest and political appeal
She said she will join tutors tomorrow outside Simon Harris's office from two o'clock and urged other TDs to join the demonstration. Smith recalled that Simon Harris told the TUI conference a month earlier that the contract would be ready "within days," a promise she said has not been fulfilled.
Department response and proposed offer
The minister replied that, following discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure, approval for an offer to unions has been agreed. The proposal would formally establish a grade of adult educator with a standardised pay scale aligned with the youth reach resource person scale for tutors employed in ETBs delivering further education and training programmes. The formal offer has been issued to the unions and both sides are meeting to discuss details, with the minister hopeful agreement can be reached shortly.
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Goethe. Minister, I want to ask you about the Education and Training Board Adult Education Tutors. I will be joining them tomorrow outside Simon Harris's office for a protest, based on the fact that in 2020 the Labour Court issued a recommendation to sort out the messy contracts and pay scales, and the fact that these workers have to sign on during holiday periods, and nothing has been done about it. A month ago at the TUI conference Simon Harris said, we will have that contract with you within days. Since 2020 the Labour Court recommendation is sitting in that department and has not been acted on. These are fine, dedicated, committed adult education tutors who have messy contracts and poor salaries. Their issues need to be sorted out as per the Labour Court recommendation. They are undervalued, and yet they provide an essential service, mostly to people whom the education system failed the first place in their childhood. So I want you to look into this, Minister, with a matter of urgency. We will be outside the department tomorrow from two o'clock, and I would urge other TDs to join us. Deputy Smith, my understanding is that following discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure, approval for an offer to be made to the unions has been agreed. The proposal is that a grade of adult educator will be formally established, with a standardised pay scale aligned with the youth reach resource person scale. This grade will apply to tutors employed in ETBs to deliver further education training programmes who are currently employed under a variety of terms and conditions. The formal offer has issued to the unions, and both sides are meeting to discuss the details of the offer, so hopefully agreement can be reached very shortly. Thank you.
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