Teachers’ Union of Ireland
Aontas Múinteoirí Éireann
73 Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6
Tel: (01) 4922588 Fax: (01) 4922953
e-mail: tui@tui.ie
website:http: //www.tui.ie
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TO: Second Level VEC Schools TUI Representatives
Second Level VEC TUI Branch Secretaries
Executive Committee
TUI-11042bh-PM
7th September, 2011.
Protocol – Workplace Committee Operation
Dear Colleague,
I enclose, for your information, copy of a protocol in respect of the
operation of workplace committees and the role of a school principal in
facilitating this implementation.
This protocol has been agreed with the Principals and Deputy Principals’
Association and is being circulated by PDA to its members.
It is the hope of all parties that this will increase the efficiency and
effectiveness of communication at workplace levels. This, of course, in
no way impinges on the operation of the grievance or discipline
procedures which have been agreed.
Yours sincerely,
____________________________
Peter MacMenamin
General Secretary
Enc.
President Bernie Ruane General Secretary Peter MacMenamin
Deputy General Secretary Annette Dolan Assistant General Secretaries Declan Glynn John MacGabhann Aidan Kenny
TUI / PDA Protocol
Workplace Committees and Management Role
TUI intends to establish Workplace Committees in each School / College
/ Centre throughout the country. This issued as a major recommendation
from the Structures Review Group, a subcommittee that was appointed by
the Executive Committee and which was endorsed by TUI Congress
2010. The aim is to modernise the current structures and processes in the
TUI, and to make them more accessible, effective and responsive to the
needs of the membership.
A Workplace Committee will normally be comprised of three to four
members and will include the School / College Representative. The role
of the Workplace Committee will be:
 To organise meetings of members to discuss and address
issues that may arise within the workplace.
 To represent members, to consult and to negotiate on issues
at the earliest possible stage with the Principal Teacher
(Priomhoide) and his/her nominee, with a view to their
speedy resolution.
 To recruit new members in each workplace on a continuing
basis
 To monitor and advise TUI Head Office of the membership
status of each member (retirements, resignations, career
breaks etc.)
The efficient operation of the Workplace Committee is in the interests of
all parties and requires that there be good co-operation between
workplace colleagues at all times. In this regard, it is recognised that
Principals and Deputy Principals are members of the TUI who have
responsibility for School / College / Centre management activities such as
planning, organising, directing and controlling a number of interrelated
operations in the workplace.
These roles are compatible with membership of the TUI and must be
appreciated and understood by all.
TUI Principals and Deputy Principals fully acknowledge the necessity of
TUI members to operate within workplaces and will foster such activities
in the workplace.
A genuinely co-operative approach between all TUI members, i.e.
Principals / Deputy Principals and Teachers will foster a working
environment that will encourage a consensus between all parties in the
School / College / Centre. This approach will also facilitate the
development of task-oriented approaches that are conducive to
collaborative working practices and are in the interests of the entire
School / College / Centre community.
It is the responsibility of all parties (Principals / Deputy Principals /
Teachers / TUI Workplace Committees / TUI Representatives) to be
knowledgeable of and familiar with the contents of Agreements, Circular
Letters etc. that are pertinent to workplace practices. All such
documentation is usually available to all concerned on www.tui.ie.
The PDA wishes to facilitate in a reasonable way the work of TUI
business in the school / centres and in this regard encourages its members
to facilitate fully
 The convening of union meetings within the School / College /
Centre and, when necessary, outside of the normal teaching day
 Consultation with TUI colleagues, with a view to reaching
agreement on work related issues. This includes the resolution of
workplace grievances that may occur from time to time, using the
agreed Informal Grievance Procedure and if unresolved, the
initiation of the Formal Grievance Procedure
 The circulation of union correspondence to TUI members in the
workplace
 The use of appropriate staff-room notice boards for union posters
and information
SEPTEMBER 2011