Ninth Level Ireland

“The ongoing pensions strike in the UK has brought renewed attention to an issue which, every few years, stirs unnecessary discord: public sector pay. It is a particularly fraught topic in Ireland, with the consensus being that educators are overpaid and underworked: ‘Sure look at the holidays they get’, being the common expression …” (more)

[James O’Sullivan, Irish Times, 25 April]

“Striking lecturers and angry students are nothing new. In recent years, the Department of Education has become used to picket lines and placards, while doing little to meet the chorus of demands from the third-level sector. So the news that staff in institutes of technology around the country will refuse to work an additional hour negotiated under recent national pay agreements will probably do little to faze the government. But it should …” (more)

[University Times, 22 April]

“Members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) in the Institute of Technology sector have voted overwhelmingly in a national ballot (by a margin of 96% to 4%) to engage in a campaign of industrial action over unsustainable workload …” (more)

[Teachers’ Union of Ireland, 19 April]

“Institutes of technology could face disruption as lecturers are being balloted on industrial action up to strikes over delays to a review of their duties and workload. The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) leadership is recommending that its 4,000 members at the 14 institutes of technology vote in favour of action …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 31 March]

“Staff in Institutes of Technology across the country are balloting for industrial action in a dispute over working hours. The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said on Friday that the workload of academic staff in the Institute of Technology sector had ‘long since exceeded reasonable levels and was now completely unsustainable’ …” (more)

[Martin Wall, Irish Times, 30 March]

“Students in institutes of technology may be facing a cut in lecturing hours from September in a row over workload for academics. About 4,000 lecturers are currently being balloted on industrial action, and a ‘yes’ vote could result in disruption in the next academic year …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 30 March]

“The underfunding of third level education has led to an ‘unsustainable’ workload for academic staff in the Institute of Technology sector, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has warned. The union says teachers’ workload ‘has long since exceeded reasonable levels’ and has led to ‘significant levels’ of work-related stress among academic staff resulting in the provision of an impaired service to students …” (more)

[Irish Times, 30 March]

“Women shoulder a disproportionately large workload at home in ways that might disadvantage them professionally. But are female professors also ‘taking care of the academic family’ via disproportionate service loads? A new study says yes and adds to a growing body of research suggesting the same …” (more)

[Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed, 12 April]

“Lecturers at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) have voiced concerns about increased workload and lack of consultation on new policies pushed through by management. At a packed emergency meeting of the GMIT branch of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, workers also reiterated their resistance to plans to outsource lecturing work …” (more)

[Dara Bradley, Connacht Tribune, 8 April]

“Juggling multiple departmental roles on top of teaching and research can leave new lecturers feeling ‘punch-drunk’, explains new appointee Richard Budd …” (more)

[Richard Budd, Times Higher Education, 4 December]

“Almost three quarters of post-primary teachers surveyed by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) believe the use of technology is increasing their workload. The online survey of 545 teachers highlights a number of related grievances of union members …” (more)

[Joe Humphreys, Irish Times, 3 April]

“I’ve been talking with secondary school teachers. The dominant topic was opposition to grading their own students but it quickly became clear that many grievances are hidden by this dispute …” (more)

[Colum McCaffery’s Weblog, 16 March]

“DCU academic reps have had two preliminary meetings with John Doyle, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), concerning the definition and monitoring of academic work …” (more)

[DCU union, 13 December]

“In this time of accountability and assessment, are academics working harder than they did before? And how might we tell? Recent authors have shown how submission rates to journals have increased at the weekends, but survey and questionnaire data about work-loads have shown few changes in work-load over the years …” (more)

[James Hartley, Impact of Social Sciences, 6 December]

“When viewed in the broader context of late modernity, responses to the increasingly frenetic academic workload can be more clearly understood …” (more)

[Filip Vostal, Impact of Social Sciences, 20 November]