Primary teachers start work-to-rule as government calls for talks
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Primary teachers have begun a work-to-rule over pay, an action that starts with more complicated school drop-offs and ends with the government requesting talks as quickly as possible. It is a familiar rhythm for the department of education: the teachers have a grievance, the parents have a scheduling problem, and the state has a sudden interest in dialogue.
The 2027 budget is already taking shape with a focus on the cost of childhood. Higher education fees could drop by €1,500 per child for families with multiple students in college, while expanded childcare subsidies could save parents roughly €1,000 a year. These are generous provisions for a future that is still three years away.
The state's accounting remains less precise elsewhere. New figures show nearly €1bn in social welfare overpayments has not been recovered, while a decade of deliberation has yet to produce a location for a new mother and baby psychiatric unit. The government appears more efficient at promising money than collecting it.