Union chief defends rejection of teacher pay proposal

The head of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland has defended the union executive’s decision to recommend that teachers should reject pay proposals offered by the Government.

The ASTI’s 17,000 members are to be balloted on the deal, which has been brokered in an effort to avoid further strikes that have seen secondary schools closed across the country.

However the ASTI executive has advised that it believes the deal should be rejected. President Ed Byrne said the deal offers nothing new on pay for new teachers and that it will do nothing to address pay inequality.