Teachers play by rules

SECONDARY teachers have not reneged on their Sustaining Progress commitments.

By going to arbitration on the issue of the timing of parent/teacher meetings, ASTI members are fully participating in that agreement. They have agreed to accept the binding decision of the arbitration body. Therefore, the minister has no right whatever to threaten to withhold the benchmarking payments due to teachers.

If the minister withholds the payments to teachers, who have not reneged on the agreement, surely that amounts to a breach of the agreement by the minister?

Does that not call into question whether he should be paid his own benchmarking increases?

Seán Fallon,

2, Killakee Walk,

Firhouse,

Dublin 24.