Fresh talks in bid to avert second teacher strike in January

Attempts by Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan to try and restart talks on junior cycle reform have received a tentative welcome from teacher unions.

Although they are still likely to fix a date tomorrow for a second one-day strike in January at 730 second-level schools, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said her suggestion has merit.

She told the Oireachtas education committee yesterday afternoon that she will be asking Pauric Travers, the independent chair of talks between unions and her officials that collapsed a month ago, to see if they could be restarted. She said that, in an effort to avert industrial action, she would be asking him to consult with herself, her officials and both unions “to see if the conditions for meaningful talks exist.”