The long-standing opposition of the ASTI to the Government's package on supervision and substitution in schools may end if the union's members vote for the deal in a new ballot.
At a special convention at the weekend, ASTI representatives agreed to ballot the union's 17,000-strong membership on the package. The Government is offering a €37 an hour rate and teachers can opt out of the supervision/substitution work if they wish. The payments are also pensionable.
Up to now the union has maintained a ban on all supervision/substitution work. This has forced school management to recruit non-teachers as replacements.
For the last three years the ASTI has said that until its 30 per cent pay claim was dealt with, it would not co-operate with any other school initiatives.
The union's members are also to be asked in a ballot do they want to co-operate with the introduction of new syllabi in biology and home economics. This has also been held up because of the pay campaign.
The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, welcomed the decision to ballot members. "The provision of the payment under the PPF, together with the benchmarking award, is an improvement of 34 per cent in teachers' pay," he said.
"I have stated on a number of occasions that syllabus change, which was sought by both teachers and pupils, should not be used as a weapon in any industrial action," he added. "I hope that this marks a turning point in this long-running dispute".
On Friday, the executive of the other second-level teachers' union, the TUI, accepted the new arrangements for making supervision work pensionable. The deal was put together by Mr Tom Pomphrett of the Labour Relations Commission.
Mr Dempsey said this development was also highly significant. "This represents a very satisfactory outcome for teachers, making the payments for a long-term commitment to supervision and substitution pensionable. It will benefit schools as they will be assured in the provision of teachers for this service. This deal also gives expression to the previous Government commitment to making this payment pensionable."
The Joint Managerial Body, which represents the management of all voluntary secondary schools, welcomed the decision of the ASTI to ballot members.
The general secretary of the body, Mr George O'Callaghan, said it believed the offer was a good one and, for the first time, provided "an opportunity for the payment of teachers for work which has been done on a voluntary unpaid basis up to now".
Mr O'Callaghan said the deal offered an hourly rate of €37, which worked out as an annual allowance of €1,369. This would be pensionable and there would be backdated payments for teachers who undertook the work in the previous school year.
The body has always maintained supervision and substitution work should be paid, and that teachers should have the opportunity to be involved. The offer from the Department of Education and Science acknowledged those principles, Mr O'Callaghan said.