Unite English Language Teachers to protest the early and unsafe re-opening of the English Language Education sector. 

When: Monday, July 19^th 1pm

Where: Department of Further and Higher Education, Malborough Street, Dublin 1

Unite’s English Language Teachers’ branch last night [July 14^th] voted to call a march of teachers and students to protest the Department’s plans to re-open English language schools on Monday July 19^th – with less than one week’s notice to students and teachers. 

Richie Browne, Regional Coordinating Officer for Unite explained the concerns of his union’s membership among English language teachers:

“Our members employed in the English-language teaching sector have numerous concerns about this decision by the Department; one of the main ones being that most teachers and their students are in younger age groups and are still unvaccinated. These concerns were raised with the government’s working group, of which Unite English Language Teachers’ branch is a member, but they don’t appear to have been taken into account in any way. “The decision of the Department’s COVID-19 Working Group to suddenly reopen the English Language Education industry will give free rein to the predominant, large school owners whose response during Covid was completely inadequate. They sought to write ‘self-regulating’ codes and ignored calls for sick pay, elected staff representation, and safe external reporting mechanisms for non-compliance with safety protocols”, Mr Browne said.

Unite is asking teachers and supporters to assemble at the Spire at 12:30 and march to the Department of Education. The timing of the protest march is set to coincide with the day when the Department is permitting school owners to re-open Ireland’s English Language Education sector for face-to-face classes.