The prospect of secondary teachers suspending their strike action moved closer last night when their union said it was prepared to re-enter a fresh round of Labour Court talks.
The ASTI said it wanted a new offer from the talks, but the association would enter them in a positive light.
The talks under the chairmanship of Mr Finbarr Flood are likely to revisit some elements of the original Labour Court recommendation.
As reported in yesterday's Irish Times they will focus on supervision which teachers are not currently paid for. The talks may also discuss some shortening of the long incremental scale and possibly the timetable for benchmarking. One possible solution would see teachers getting an annual allowance for providing supervision. It would be paid to primary and secondary teachers and this would preserve the national pay deal, said Government sources.
The original Labour Court recommendation said supervision was an area which needed to be examined, although it did not say teachers should get paid. The future talks are likely to expand on this area.
The Government may be willing to consider payment for supervision because the issue relates solely to teachers and has no wider implications for public service pay.
Payment for supervision would also have no impact on the PPF as it would be paid to all three teacher unions and not just the ASTI. The Government would thus not be seen to be "rewarding" the ASTI for stepping outside the PPF. Last night the influential standing committee of the ASTI decided to pursue the new Labour Court talks, although many members are still holding out for a fresh offer, preferably an upfront payment.
A statement said if there was an "elaboration' or "development" arising from the new talks it would put the proposals to ballot.
If the union accepts the Taoiseach's clarification its three-day strike next week could be suspended during the weekend.
Support for the union's action has been draining away over recent weeks and many ASTI members are anxious for a solution before the exams begin.
The Government is also concerned about the possible impact on the summer exams. There is confidence in Government circles that it can stage the exams in June but the problem of finding expert personnel to correct them is very great. The Government may encounter difficulty staging the oral and practical exams as these entail direct involvement by teachers. It has still to set a date for orals and practicals.
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth in the Republic will make it difficult to convene ASTI meetings.
The union has requested executive members to observe a "media blackout".
Trinity College's postgraduate students' union says its members are prepared to mark exam papers this summer.