The Government faces a new dispute with teachers over its pension plans, which may lead to the ASTI pulling out of the national partnership agreement.
At a recent meeting of the ASTI's executive, it was agreed that delegates at its forthcoming annual convention should decide whether to ballot members on the union's future participation in Sustaining Progress.
Such a withdrawal could put in doubt pay rises of 7.5 per cent still due to the union's 16,500 members from Sustaining Progress and benchmarking.
Sources at the ASTI said there was a belief by some in the union that it was "selling out" its new members by allowing new pension rules to be introduced.
Under plans in the most recent Budget the minimum pension age for new entrants to the public service will be 65. Consequently, the earliest a teacher will be able to retire with full pension will be 65. Sources said there was a belief that unions had signed up to Sustaining Progress without taking account of future members.
Meanwhile, a survey of over 1,700 secondary school principals and teachers conducted by the ASTI has revealed that almost 50 per cent of teachers feel that student substance or alcohol abuse is a factor in classroom undiscipline. One-third had taught classes in which some students were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
A meeting of the Teachers' Conciliation Council was last night expected to bring in a facilitator over the question of supervision and substitution. Teaching unions, school managers and the Department of Education have failed to reach agreement on payment for these activities.