A mediator will oversee a discussion concerning employment standards for teachers in the English language at the Grafton College. The school’s English-language program draws attention from the public regarding the pay and conditions for many of those working in the department.

In response to the concerns, the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Conner, appointed Patrick King, former general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, to work with stakeholders. The group will explore a variety of employment issues concerning English language teachers.

According to Mitchell O’Conner, “My key objective is to ensure that Ireland has an English language sector that we can all have confidence in and which provides a quality education to international students coming to Ireland to learn English. Teachers and staff are a central element in ensuring the quality of that educational provision.”

King will meet with representatives from both the employer and employee groups. They will discuss whether the scope for a set of minimum standards of employment can be reached between the two parties. The goal is to create standards that form the basis of a registered employment agreement.

The arrangement will be similar to the agreements reached between trade unions and employers regarding working conditions and pay, and like those agreements, will be legally binding and enforceable once both sides agree.

Mitchell O’Connor elaborated, “There is a real opportunity here to inform future developments in the English language education sector that will benefit both employers and employees. I call on both employers and staff representative bodies to actively engage with Mr. King to explore the potential to address the employment related issues that have been so damaging to the sector in the recent past.”