Teaching unions to meet Woods

Ireland’s three main teaching unions are to meet Education Minister Michael Woods later today ahead of planned industrial action by the ASTI next week.

Members of the Association of Secondary Teachers have threatened to withdraw from voluntary supervision and substitution duties as part of their long-running campaign for a 30% pay rise.

The Government has drawn up plans to hire replacements for the striking teachers but last night, the Teachers Union of Ireland said it would join the ASTI action if non-teaching staff were employed as substitutes and supervisors.

Despite this development, Minister Woods is still hopeful disruption can be avoided.

"We have our contingency plans ready," he said.

"They are in place and we will be doing our very best to ensure students can continue with their education.

"The ASTI has said it doesn’t want to disrupt the students and it doesn't want to close schools, so I hope on that co-operative basis that that will be possible."