The ASTI needs to re-evaluate where it is going and take a critical look at its entire strategy, according to the union's president.
In an interview with The Irish Times, Ms Catherine Fitzpatrick acknowledges that the strategies adopted by the ASTI have so far failed to deliver on pay. "We need to step back and devise a strategy which has the potential to be successful."
She also signals that the union might be more successful if it worked with the other teaching unions, the INTO and the TUI.
Ms Fitzpatrick says she was very concerned by the recent decision of a small group of ASTI members to circulate an anonymous document to schools - and to the media - which sought to undermine her work and that of the ASTI leadership.
"These people were not willing to put their names on the material they circulate. These people are acting against the interests of the union.
"We are a democratic organisation and it is good to have healthy debate. But some people within the union are working to undermine the efforts we are making. All our efforts should be focused on improving the salary, conditions and status of teachers. Personal attacks are just a distraction from this and those with whom we have to negotiate are delighted when they hear of splits."
Ms Fitzpatrick said it is well known within the ASTI that she voted to remain in talks on supervision and substitution. Last week, the 180-member union Central Executive Committee (CEC) voted narrowly to reject any more talks with the Minister until its pay campaign was settled.
She said the most likely scenario now was that the supervision dispute would continue at least until June - when the benchmarking body delivered its report on teachers' pay to the other teaching union, the INTO and the TUI.
Ms Fitzpatrick also acknowledged that the ASTI campaign for a 30 per cent pay increase has not delivered. "ASTI needs to re-evaluate where it is going. We need to learn from last year when we left the ICTU and we were not working with the INTO and the TUI. We need to re-evaluate the whole thing. There is a general consensus now that the Government will not deal with pay issue prior to the benchmarking review in June."
She said members had acknowledged in a survey last year that they did not want to see more disruption in schools. "The members want a vigorous campaign of political lobbying to help secure a significant pay increase. They do not want to co-operate with the Department of Education on new programmes until the pay issue is resolved. But they do not want more disruption in their schools."