ASTI members seek ‘confidence-building measures’
A ballot of members of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) is due to be completed next Friday. If they vote in favour of withdrawing from supervision and substitution duties, it is feared schools might have to close.
The Department of Education has asked the ASTI to not only co-operate with contingency plans to keep schools open, but also to give it sufficient notice to put those plans in place.
ASTI president Ed Byrne said the union has no idea what the contingency plans are but added: “I find it interesting because this action has come about because of a breach of Haddington Road [agreement on public service pay and conditions].
“We were going to continue with supervision and substitution and the Government paid the TUI [Teachers Union of Ireland] members it but wouldn’t pay the ASTI members it. That is why the ballot is taking place.”
Mr Byrne told RTÉ radio that as the ballot was not complete yet, the union could not know the outcome: “I think we have to see what they [ASTI members] decide and then we will make our decisions. I am also interested that the monies that were stopped that caused this problem had to be put into Fempi in June 2015. They have had a lot of time to make up contingency plans.”
Asked whether the union would be in favour of co-operating with contingency plans in the event that action goes ahead, Mr Byrne said there could be some confidence-building measures that would allow them to.
As an example he said the Department made an “unwarranted attack” on new entrants by abandoning the Ward report on contracts of indefinite duration for ASTI teachers.
“Maybe if the department were to re-look at that, we might be more favourable.”
Education Minister Richard Bruton said that, with the likes of Garda vetting requirements, the department and schools would need six to seven weeks to put other people in place to cover supervision “that would reassure parents that everything would be able to continue to run satisfactorily”.
“I believe there is no need for industrial action because in respect of the two issues which are being balloted upon — the substitution payments and the restoration of pay to young qualified teachers — on both of those we have made significant progress with the other trade unions,” he said.
