The principal secondary teachers' union yesterday signalled the likelihood of industrial action in pursuit of a 30 per cent pay claim, but no disruption of this year's Leaving and Junior Certificate exams is expected.
The Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) is considering options including withdrawal of co-operation with new Department of Education programmes. In the first instance, the union could vote at a special conference next Saturday not to co-operate with the new school inspection scheme, known as Whole School Evaluation (WSE).
The union is demanding a 30 per cent pay increase to compensate teachers for their work in transforming Ireland's second-level education system over the past decade.
Last month the ASTI voted to leave the Irish Congress of Trade Unions during negotiations on a national pay deal. It complained at the ICTU's alleged failure to advance its pay claims, notably a compensation demand for those who settled their pay claims early in the last pay deal only to see nurses and gardai gain much better terms.
It is unclear, however, if the union will be able to muster support for an aggressive form of industrial action. Opposition to the national pay deal appears less evident among the other teaching unions.
The executive of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation has strongly endorsed the national agreement, while the leadership of the Teachers' Union of Ireland has said the deal will deliver a wage increase of up to 29 per cent to teachers, when the Budget changes are included.
Both the INTO and the TUI are expected to endorse the agreement in ballots of their members, leaving the ASTI isolated as the only teaching union opposed.
The union's general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, said yesterday that it would have no choice but to ballot its members on industrial action if there was no progress with the 30 per cent claim.
The most likely scenario, however, is that the ASTI will come under intense pressure to ballot its members on the terms of the national pay deal if it is supported by the INTO and the TUI and endorsed by a special ICTU congress late next month.
Should this happen, the ASTI could pursue any additional claim through a benchmarking system in the new pay deal which links public and private sector pay levels.
At a press briefing the ASTI president, Ms Bernardine O'Sullivan, said the 19 per cent now on offer in the national pay deal would not be enough to satisfy teachers. In the past decade the classroom had become the place where all the ills of society were supposed to be addressed; teachers had responded to these needs but had not been properly compensated.
Whereas teachers were teaching two main courses (the Intermediate and Junior Certificates) a decade ago, they were now also teaching transition-year studies, the Leaving Cert Applied and a range of new courses, including Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE).
Ms O'Sullivan said the teaching profession was losing its attraction for young people because of inadequate pay levels. There had been a decline of some 400 in the number completing the Higher Diploma in Education this year. There had also been a marked decline in the number of young people viewing teaching as a good career option, as measured by recent surveys.
During yesterday's briefing the ASTI leadership defended the union's record on social inclusion and highlighted its support for measures to tackle low pay and disadvantage.