‘We’re here to teach and we’re unable to teach because of the minister’s decision not to pay the money owed’

In the morning sun near Cork city centre, staff of St Aloysius’ College lined the footpath along the school wall as the gates were closed throughout yesterday.

Miriam O’Donovan, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) steward at the all-girls’ secondary school, said each of the union’s 23 members was at the school gate for whatever period they were timetabled to have a class of students.

And the finger of blame was being firmly pointed at Education Minister Richard Bruton and the Government.