Former CICE staff protest following move to DCU

Former CICE staff and students protesting at the college's former campus in Rathmines

A group of former staff and students of the Church of Ireland College of Education has accused its governors of failing to deliver on their responsibilities and commitments to staff and students.

They made the accusation during the transition from the college's old campus in Rathmines to the onetime Catholic-run St Patrick's College campus in Drumcondra.

The move last August saw the a major Catholic teacher training college and the Republic's only Protestant one become part of Dublin City University. 

However, the protestors who picketed the former CICE campus in Rathmines this afternoon, which included former governors, say the move has resulted in the termination of the programmes CICE once offered.

They also criticized the way the Rathmines college was closed last August with less than 24 hours notice to staff to pack their office contents.

In a statement, the group said that no clear plan has yet been communicated on how the financial, administrative and support services provided by the former CICE will continue for the nearly 100 students completing the former college's programmes in DCU.

Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, Mike Jennings, has said former part-time CICE staff have not received satisfactory contracts and face uncertainty regarding hours and payment in their new employment.

It has appealed to the board's chairman, Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough Dr Michael Jackson, to urgently facilitate a speedy resolution of the problems. 

 

Dr Jackson has responded by saying his Board has repeatedly sought the intervention and engagement of the Department of Education in order to resolve staff issues.

In a statement, he adds that the CICE has also engaged with staff through the Workplace Relations Commission.

 

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Original Article (RTE, Friday, 27 Jan 2017): http://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0127/848258-cice-protest/