Small group of lecturers gather outside ATU Galway as part of national protest

A small group of lecturers have gathered outside ATU Galway in the past hour as part of a national protest over working conditions

The Teachers Union of Ireland says lecturers in certain parts of the country are not paid equally to those doing the same job in Dublin.

There are 4 thousand 600 TUI members working at technological universities nationwide, and 92 per cent say they will take industrial action if needed.

The TUI has held these protests over the non-adherence by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) to a collective agreement on the establishment of the Technological University (TU) sector.

Lecturers across the country, including at the other Galway and Mayo ATU campuses on Wellpark Road and in Castlebar, took part in the lunchtime protests.

The Union is urging DFHERIS to engage meaningfully with us on these key issues.

Should they continue to fail to do so, the Union already has a strong mandate for a campaign of industrial action, up to and including strike action, on this critical issue following a national ballot of members last month.

Our reporters Sarah Slevin and Joshua Byrne spoke to these lecturers outside ATU about their main concerns: