ASTI ban to go to members’ vote

THE 17,000 members of the ASTI will vote on the possible return to supervision and substitution duties in the next few weeks.

A special convention will be held in October, where secondary teachers will be balloted on lifting the ban which has led to enormous difficulties since last March.

In the meantime, the 600 schools where ASTI members teach will continue with outside supervision staff brought in as a result of the dispute. However, one option at the special convention could be to lift the supervision ban temporarily while a full ballot of members is taking place.

As well as the supervision ban, ASTI members have withdrawn from doing in-service training until their 30% pay claim is settled. This has led to the postponement of new Leaving Cert courses in biology and home economics being introduced until November, although they will be taught by Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) members.

The decision to hold the convention, where hundreds of delegates will have a vote, was taken by the union’s standing committee after lengthy talks which began on Thursday. Members from around the country outlined very mixed views on the issue.

ASTI president PJ Sheehy said there had been major developments in relation to the issue of supervision and substitution since the ASTI’s annual convention in April. “It is vital that the widest possible discussion on these developments takes place,” he said.

While this is a major step for the union, it is unlikely the convention will make any hard decision on the question of its wider pay claim. However, the implementation of the benchmarking report and a recommended 13% pay increase will be discussed.

An important consideration on the supervision discussions in the next few weeks will be the details of how the payments will be made pensionable. This will be discussed by the TUI, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation and Department of Education next Thursday after talks opened this week on Thursday.

Meanwhile, talks aimed at resolving the junior doctors’ dispute over rostering have been adjourned with little progress until next Tuesday.

More than 2,500 non-consultant hospital doctors will strike if the negotiations are not concluded by September.