In a major grassroots revolt, 3,500 secondary-school teachers have demanded radical changes to their union's voting procedures, writes Sean Flynn, Education Editor
In response to the move, the 17,000-member Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) has convened a special conference for next month.
A grassroots petition from members demands that all ASTI ballots must in future take place in schools and not at branch meetings. One source said: "This is a move to create real democracy in the union. People are fed up with a small group dominating the agenda."
The move comes amid increasing signs that ASTI may be softening its recent hardline stance. On Friday, the union's central executive committee voted to ballot on the national pay deal without making any recommendation to members. In a surprising move, they also signalled their readiness to enter talks on such issues as parent-teacher meetings at night - if members back the new pay deal.
The demand for changes to voting procedures comes because some members are also angry that they are being forced to travel to branches to vote instead of being allowed to vote in their schools.
Rural members are complaining about the long distances they must often travel to vote in ASTI ballots, such as the current one on supervision. Members in Dublin say the traffic chaos also makes it difficult to vote.
ASTI is now balloting members on the €38 per hour supervision and substitution offer. This vote is taking place at branch level, in the traditional way, usually in hotels.
But the 3,500 members who are demanding a change say school-based ballots would be more convenient for members and would attract a much higher turnout. The special conference to consider the issue will be held in UCD on April 5th.
The move by grassroots members also reflects concern about the way in which branch members dominate the agenda in the union, even though branch meetings are very poorly attended.
By some estimates, only about 10 per cent of ASTI members regularly attend branch meetings. One ASTI source said less than 20 members from a possible 300 bothered to attend one recent branch meeting which was considering motions for the forthcoming annual conference.
But another senior figure said ASTI members could hardly complain if they refused to get involved in the democratic structures of the union.
The move to switch to school-based ballots follows similar moves in the other teaching unions.
Both the Teachers' Union of Ireland and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation are holding postal ballots on the current national pay deal.
Last night ASTI sources said the vote on the supervision offer was expected to be close.
Last year, ASTI voted 60-40 to accept the Government's deal. But the ASTI executive is recommending rejection of the offer amid a dispute about payments for being "on-call".
The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, is hoping for a high turnout in the ballot. But no turnout figures are available as yet. Voting continues until next Thursday. The result should be known on Friday.
Yesterday, a senior ASTI figure said the decision to ballot members on the new pay deal and to take part in discussions on working conditions of members represented "an important turning-point" in the campaign for a pay increase for teachers.
Mr Paddy Mulcahy, a candidate for vice-presidency of the union, said: "It is timely in that it affords the ASTI the opportunity to address the difficulties encountered during the campaign of the last three years and be fully prepared to deal with the strong possibility that a return to local bargaining may follow this social partnership agreement."