Teacher action over ‘wasted’ hours to impact pay

The loss of pay restoration is looming for thousands of secondary teachers after they voted to withdraw from working extra hours they believe are wasted.

The decision by Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) members means they will no longer fulfil the additional 33 hours a year. These hours were being worked since 2011 under the Croke Park Agreement and successor public service pay deals. But the requirement that they be used for staff meetings or other non-teaching functions has angered teachers.

Although the Haddington Road Agreement, under which the work was being done, ends this summer the union's 18,000 members are now likely to fall foul of financial emergency law. They would therefore not see the benefits of the Lansdowne Road Agreement, already rejected by ASTI members, that include an increase in salary of €1,000 for teachers earning under €65,000 from September 2017.