The Minister for Education says he’s disappointed that teachers will join thousands of other public sector workers in a day of strike action later this month.
The three main teacher unions say they’re taking the action because they can’t sustain any further cutbacks.
The country’s 65,000 teachers will now withdraw their labour on November 24th – forcing schools to close.
Minister Batt O’Keeffe says he wants to avoid conflict – but the Government is making decisions based on Ireland’s best interests.
“We want a resolution, we want the talks to succeed, but there is a situation in Ireland where we have to accept pain has been take” he said.
“Yes of course you feel aggrieved, but in the short-term we’re going to have to administer more pain as a country” he added.
Earlier, SIPTU economist Marie Sherlock says the strike action, organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), is simply unavoidable.
“This decision has not been taken lightly; we’re more than aware of the consequences here” she said.
“But what other alternative is there at this point in time?”
“A decision has been taken, a very strong mandate from the public sector workers has been given for this day of action and I think, in the context of the talks going on at the moment, there is the perspective there that there is no other choice” she added.
