Secondary teachers have voted decisively for industrial action in pursuit of their 30 per cent pay claim.
The executive of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) will today consider its planned industrial action amid indications that the union may escalate its campaign beyond a series of one-day strikes.
The ASTI is not due to formally release the results of its ballot until this afternoon, but sources say that an "overwhelming" majority of members voted in favour of industrial action in the ballot.
It is thought that over 70 per cent of the ASTI's 16,000 members voted in the ballot.
The ASTI is planning a series of one-day strikes next month. But disruption to schools could be even more serious if the union's executive agrees later today to withdraw teachers from lunchtime yard supervision. School managers have warned that parents will be advised to take children home if the ban on supervision goes ahead.
For now, the ASTI is planning a series of one-day strikes. The proposed action involves a national one-day strike on November 14th, followed by a series of one-day strikes organised on a regional basis until the end of November.
Some ASTI executive members, however, believe that still more disruptive action is required if the strike is to have a real impact.
The strike ballot mandates the union to pursue a number of options up to and including disruption of the Leaving and Junior Cert exams next year. Other options include withdrawal from yard supervision at lunchtime and the withdrawal of short-term cover for absent colleagues.
Withdrawal from lunchtime or yard supervision would present huge difficulties for school managers.
At present, school lunch breaks, which vary in duration from 40 minutes to one hour, are supervised on a "voluntary" basis by teachers. Some teachers perform this supervisory duty as part of their regular working week, but in most cases the school principal does not timetable the teacher to do this work. Instead, the principal will usually ask the teacher, or teachers themselves will volunteer.
In a recent letter to over 400 schools, Mr George O'Callaghan, general secretary of the Joint Management Body (JMB), which manages the majority of secondary schools, warned about the possible impact of the ASTI action.
"The possible withdrawal of supervision and cover for absent colleagues will place schools in a very difficult position", he stated. "The JMB will consider advising schools to close in the event of schools being unable to provide adequate supervision and substitution cover for pupils. This action would be necessary in the interests of the health and safety of pupils."