Ireland's three main teaching unions have voted to take industrial action at the end of this month over what they say is the Government's disproportionate handling of the economic crisis.

The ASTI, the TUI and the INTO, which have a combined membership of 60,000 teachers, have voted by a significant margin to take action up to and including an all-out strike.

They say the action will go ahead unless the Government re-engages with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to find an equitable way of addressing the economic crisis.

Teachers are angry over the imposition of pay cuts on all public-sector workers in the form of a pension levy.

They say they are prepared to take their share of cuts as part of an economic recovery programme, but only if the burden is shared fairly across society.