At the INTO Conference taking place in Killarney today Primary teachers have passed a resolution that could lead to a ballot for strike action as a result of an excessive overload of new reforms and initiatives.
A report published by Dublin City University in 2025 described the workload that Primary Teachers face as ‘alarming’.
The INTO are now demanding an independent review into the workloads.
Áine McGinley, Central Executive Committee (CEC) member for Donegal and Leitrim says that teachers in rural areas like Donegal feel the pressure most:
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(Release in Full)
Primary teachers have passed a resolution at the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) Congress that could lead to a ballot for strike action as a result of an excessive overload of new reforms and initiatives.
The Killarney event heard of the ever-increasing impact of excessive workload on the teaching profession as noted in DCU’s Teacher Occupational Wellbeing Research study published last year, with the report described as “alarming.”
INTO members passed a resolution commending their colleagues in Northern Ireland for leading on the issue as an independent review into teacher workload was undertaken in the North last year following consistent pressure from members in the six counties. The union is now calling on the Department of Education (NI) to implement the changes recommended in the resulting report.
South of the border, the Central Executive Committee of the INTO is demanding an independent review of the workload of primary teachers and principals in the Republic.
The call comes at a time when primary and special schools are being asked to implement a significant number of reforms and initiatives, including: revised child protection guidelines; new anti-bullying procedures; changes to the assessment of need process; the free school books scheme; hot school meals; and the redevelopment of the primary curriculum.
The relentless demands are being issued without adequate time for professional learning, consultation or collaboration. If an independent review does not transpire, INTO members have instructed their CEC to ballot members in the Republic of Ireland for industrial action up to and including strike action.
A native of Newry, Co. Down, Seamus Hanna proposed the motion:
“We are facing a profession in which nearly nine out of ten teachers are reporting experiences of burnout, principals are working unsustainable hours, vacancies go unfilled, SEN supports are cannibalised to cover shortages, and teacher wellbeing is deteriorating at a pace no system can withstand. This is not simply a workplace issue-it is a threat to the quality and stability of Irish education”
Speaking in support of the motion Aidan Burke, Tuam Branch, said:
“We are calling for change; a reduction in administrative burden, proper resourcing for SEN, clear boundaries around working time, and investment in external supports.
Above all, we need recognition that teachers cannot continue to carry the weight of a system that is asking too much.
If we are to protect education, we must first protect teachers.”
Reacting to the resolution, INTO General Secretary John Boyle said:
“The intolerable and unmanageable demands being placed on primary teachers by the Department of Education and Youth and its agencies are a primary driver of burnout, adding to teacher shortages with the resultant 1,000 long-term vacancies. Excessive administrative burdens, curriculum overload, long working hours and a lack of systemic supports are undermining morale and damaging the mental and physical health of our members. Our union is demanding urgent action to change this reality by releasing the workload pressures within Irish primary and special schools.”
