Dempsey tells teachers deal will not change

EDUCATION Minister Noel Dempsey robustly defended his €38-an-hour school supervision and substitution deal to sceptical teachers last night.

Confronted by hostile questions at the first of his information sessions with ASTI members, Mr Dempsey reiterated the deal, worth €1,400 to teachers, was not for renegotiation.

He denied he was threatening teachers by saying alternative arrangements will be put in place if it is rejected in an ASTI ballot.

“The deal has been negotiated and accepted by all managerial bodies and two of the three unions. It is not going to unravel, but there is a provision for a review of the scheme after 12 months,” he said.

The meeting, in Lucan, Co Dublin, was attended by up to 200 teachers who grilled the minister on the details of the scheme. The majority of queries focused on pensionability aspects and the impact on female teachers going on maternity leave and young teachers.

Mr Dempsey also said non-teaching staff carrying out supervision and substitution duties in schools had been vetted by gardaí.

Department of Education officials outlined the main features of the scheme:

Voluntary participation.

37 hours over the year.

€38.48 per hour.

Payments based on delivery.

Duties to total 1½ hours a week.

Pensionability.

Although the vast majority of those in attendance were rank-and-file members of the union, ASTI central committee member Bernard Lynch attacked the deal at the meeting.

Emphasising that 95% of the union leadership were recommending rejection, Mr Lynch said the deal was anti-teacher, anti-young teacher and against those who might get sick. He also criticised the minister for holding the series of eight meetings.

“The people who aren’t here don’t welcome your intrusion. This is an exercise in hypocrisy,” he said.

Afterwards, the minister said the turnout and level of interest shown had justified the holding of the information meetings.

“I am satisfied the decision I made to go and provide the information was the correct one,” Mr Dempsey said.

But ASTI president PJ Sheehy said the meetings were an intrusion into the union’s democratic affairs.

The supervision and substitution argument between the Government and ASTI has dragged on for almost four years. Last year, ASTI members voted to accept the Government’s pay offer, already being operated by the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the Teachers Union of Ireland.