Secondary teachers told there is no room for manoeuvre on Haddington deal

Secondary teachers are being told there is no room for manoeuvre on the Haddington Road agreement.

Their union, the ASTI is to stage industrial action from next Wednesday that will see 17,000 teachers withdraw from out of hours meetings.

They will also not participate in in-service training for the new Junior cycle.

The Public Expenditure Minister and the Finance Minister have today told the ASTI that the Haddington Road Agreement cannot be revisited.

The National Parents Council is also adding its voice to criticism of the ASTI for going ahead with the industrial action.

Speaking on the Last Word, the Council's Post Primary spokesperson Jim Moore said it would have a negative impact on students and their parents.

"Very often we focus on the last term before the exam but this particular term is a very important one," he said.

"It's a very important time for students and parents, parents are very active in schools at this time of year."