Branches, Districts and Staff Representatives

Branches

The Branch is the basic unit of the Organisation. Each school is assigned to one of the Organisation's 174 branches. On joining the INTO, each member becomes a member of the branch to which her/his school is assigned.

Rule 93 states:

"Each Branch shall hold an ordinary general meeting, which shall be known as the AGM, in the month of December or January each year. It shall hold at least one other ordinary general meeting. It shall hold a special meeting at such time or times as the Branch or Branch Committee decides."

Members are urged to attend their branch meetings in order to express their opinions, cast their votes, and thereby, participate in determining the policies of the Organisation.

A Branch Committee, elected at the Branch AGM, is charged with directing the affairs of the Branch between general meetings. Branch Officers, elected at the Branch AGM, are: Cathaoirleach, Leas-Chathaoirleach, Branch Secretary and Branch Organiser.

Districts

The 174 INTO Branches are organised into 16 Districts (see map). Each District elects one representative to each of the National Committees, (with the exception of the BFC).

A District Committee is established consisting of representatives of each of the affiliated Branches in that District. The officers of the District Committee, elected at the District AGM each June, are: Cathaoirleach, Leas-Chathaoirleach, Treasurer and Secretary.

Staff Representatives

The appointment of Staff Representatives is provided for in the INTO Rules and Constitution:

"Each Branch may appoint Staff Representatives whose duty shall be to represent the staffs of their schools in all matters relating to their professional interests. Should it not be possible to resolve any problem within the school, Staff Representatives shall make contact with the Branch Officers or CEC Representative". (Rule 95)

The CEC has issued the following guidelines for the appointment of staff representatives:-

  1. INTO branches should make arrangements for the election, by INTO members, of Staff Representatives on the basis of one representative for each school in the Branch area.
  2. The election of Staff Representatives should take place in September and Staff Representatives should hold office for 3 years;
  3. The name of the person selected in each school should be submitted to the branch for appointment.

Branch Secretaries should forward to Head Office, as soon as possible after appointment, the names, teacher numbers and school roll numbers of all Branch Staff Representatives. This information is required to facilitate the inclusion of the Staff Representative's name on communications to the school from Head Office.

A special form has been designed for this purpose which is issued to Branch Secretaries annually.

Accreditation cards are issued from Head Office to the Branch Secretary for distribution to Staff Representatives.

The Branch Secretary should notify boards of management of the names of the Staff Representatives appointed in the Branch area.

The CEC recommends that the duties of an INTO Staff Representative should be as follows:

  • recruitment of members of the staff to the INTO;
  • dissemination of Organisation information received from the local Branch, or from the District Committee, or from the Central Executive Committee;
  • maintaining close links with the local INTO Branch and with members in the school/or schools;
  • calling meetings of members for whom the Staff Representative is responsible, as and when necessary;
  • handling the initial stages of individual grievances of members;
  • representing the collective interests of members in consultation or negotiation with the school authorities;
  • ensuring the implementation of all agreements to which the INTO and the school authorities are parties.