Dempsey role in ASTI ballot threatens relations

THE intervention of Education

Mr Dempsey announced on Wednesday he was holding eight meetings around the country to promote a "Yes" vote from the union's 17,000 secondary school teachers in their vote next month.

But public service unions fear this could be the start of a new era of ministerial involvement in their members' affairs.

Peter McLoone, general secretary of the country's largest public sector union IMPACT, said he did not think Mr Dempsey's intervention was advisable.

"It's totally unprecedented and raises the question of where do you draw the line. Is he now going to go around the country and promote the acceptance of the new national pay deal?"

Mr McLoone also chairs the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' public services committee and played a major part in the recent social partnership negotiations.

"I think this move has the potential of seriously backfiring on the Government. It seems to me it probably would have been best to leave the matter to be decided by members of the ASTI," he said.

Mr Dempsey said on Wednesday night he was taking the opportunity to make sure every ASTI member had all the correct information about the scheme before voting on it. He will bring non-teachers into schools on a permanent basis to do the work if it is rejected in next month's vote.

While ASTI bosses reacted angrily to the minister's invitation to information meetings, beginning in Dublin next Tuesday, they will allow teachers make up their own minds on whether to attend.

The union's executive committee recommends rejection of the supervision and substitution scheme, which offers teachers an annual pensionable payment of 1,423 for if they do the work.

The ballot follows failure to agree with the Department of Education on the working of the scheme, which was already accepted in a full ASTI vote last November.