ASTI Conference: Delegates told to take ‘heads out of the sand’

The need to take “heads out of the sand” and stem the flow of members with a clear strategy in disputes on pay and the junior cycle forced a change to the timetable at a teacher union conference.

Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) convention delegates were told it was being overtaken by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) in a number of schools as a result of restrictions placed on ASTI members getting more secure contracts and pay improvements.

ASTI president Ed Byrne rejected suggestions it has been hemorrhaging members in recent months, particularly in the community and comprehensive school where staff can be represented by either union.

TUI members are receiving the benefits of an agreement last summer with the Department of Education that includes partial restoration of pay cut from teachers who began in the job from 2011 onwards and earlier access to secure employment through contracts of indefinite duration.

ASTI is the only public-service union whose members did not get the early award this month of €1,000 in a first step towards increased public sector pay.

This is because of its solitary position of not having accepted the Lansdowne Road agreement, for which the Government is withholding those benefits under financial emergency legislation that the union describes as draconian.

Although ASTI has suspended industrial actions on its campaigns for equal pay for recently qualified teachers and on reform of the junior cycle, there was a strong appetite among delegates to decide the strategy on these and other disputes.

This led to a decision to hold a private two-hour debate on its strategy on pay equality and the junior cycle to inform the formulation by ASTI’s standing committee of further motions for discussion today.

Former ASTI president Brendan Broderick said the goalposts have moved since convention motions were submitted last November, with industrial action and the rejection of a subsequent deal to resolve the issues.

“We can’t go on with our heads in the sand, there’s nothing on the menu to discuss where we are going. It’s not fair to say it’s the minister denying lesser-paid teachers — we could ensure their contracts of indefinite duration by suspending our industrial action here at this convention,” he said.

The move to debate the strategy was described by some members as an attempt to ignore the vote of the 52.5% majority who rejected the deal in February.

Strategy was due to be discussed by ASTI’s 180-member central executive council on May 6, but the convention agreed it was important to inform teachers of the position when schools reopen next week.

Michael Browne, a non-permanent teacher in the Bray branch, said he admires the union’s principled stand for lower-paid members but some were in danger of leaving ASTI.

Standing committee member Matthew O’Connor said the majority of staff in his Limerick dual-union school were in ASTI but there is now a TUI majority.

Brian O’Donoghue of the east Cork branch said he lost out on the chance of a contract of indefinite duration with increased hours due to his ASTI membership.

“I’m seeing crying teachers screaming at me this year, [asking] have I no plan and no direction [from the union]. We’ve lost up to 15 members in the last three or four months, we’re haemorrhaging members, I’m tired of disarray and a lack of leadership,” he said.

Mr Byrne said ASTI had its highest membership on December 31 and the rise last year was at least double the number who left recently.

“Yes, it’s a concern that members would leave the union, yet I can’t turn 52.5% into a smaller number than 47.5%, I am a democrat.”