Secondary school teachers threaten autumn strikes

The ASTI has said it wants more in depth discussions with the Department of Education on plans to reform the Junior Cert cycle and is threatening a series of autumn strike days.

The secondary school teachers’ organisation is objecting to Junior Cert changes and this week warned of a series of one-day strikes that will close up to 500 schools, forcing 250,000 students to stay a home.

ASTI vice president Ed Byrne said the teachers do not want to strike and that there is no monetary claim involved. The problem of Junior Cert reform is multifaceted, he told Newstalk Breakfast.

“The changes proposed need to be examined. We want in depth discussions with the Department of Education,” he said. “There is a massive disconnect between the Junior Cert cycle and the Leaving Cert.”

Second-level teachers have warned of strikes in the autumn if the ongoing dispute over proposed changes to the junior cycle is not resolved.

The second-level teachers’ union previously said that its current industial action, including non-attendance at training for the new junior cycle, could escalate if the issue was not settled.

Members of the ASTI rejected the proposed new junior cycle reforms in a ballot carried out in September 2015.

‘Outstanding concerns’

The union said there was “a window of opportunity for the next minister for education to resolve teachers’ outstanding concerns before the 2016/17 school year”.

It said outstanding concerns included “the lack of an externally assessed oral exam in modern languages and Gaeilge and increased workload and bureaucracy for teachers”.

Members of the other second-level teachers’ union, the TUI, voted last year to accept a deal on junior cycle reforms by 69 per cent to 31 per cent, in a ballot in which 60 per cent of their members voted.

ASTI members voted by 55 per cent to 45 per cent against the package of reforms. However, only 40 per cent of the ASTI’s members voted.

After a three-year campaign against the original junior cycle reform package, union leaders had signed off on a diluted version of the proposals last summer and agreed to put it to ballots.

Union opposition to the proposals had centred on a requirement for teachers to take on some responsibility for assessing their own students.

This was effectively removed from the final deal.