The end of the long-running ASTI dispute is in sight last night, after teachers backed the new €37-an-hour supervision and substitution offer.
ASTI members also voted to lift their ban on co-operation with new syllabuses. Teachers will be free to teach new courses in home economics and biology.
ASTI officials completed their count of votes from Dublin delegates last night. ASTI members voted for the new supervision deal by 63 per cent to 37 per cetn. The vote to lift the ban on new syllabuses was 58 per cent to 42 per cent. The turnout was 55 per cent.
The results represent a major victory for the ASTI general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, and its president, Mr P. J. Sheehy. Both men have been under sustained attack from opponents within the union who support a more hardline stance on pay and other issues.
The new supervision deal, which has already been accepted by the other teaching unions, is set to cost the Government about €80 million next year. Until the ASTI dispute, teachers performed supervision and substitution duties on a voluntary basis.
The vote was welcomed last night by school managers. Mr George O'Callaghan of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB) said it would allow schools breathing space and time to concentrate on other matters. The JMB had always believed teachers were the best people to carry out supervision and substitution.
The vote marks the end of the three-year ASTI pay campaign which resulted in the closure of hundreds of schools for more than a dozen days.
The union will meet shortly to review this pay campaign and to decide on its response towards the benchmarking pay review body.
This body awarded 13 per cent to teachers, but ASTI has so far refused to accept this. Having made little progress in securing the 30 per cent wage increase it was demanding, ASTI members makemay take a more positive view of benchmarking.
Under the new supervision arrangements, teachers can opt in or out of the scheme. However, once they opt in they must be available for the entire school year. Teachers stand to gain over €1,423 a year from supervision.
The news is certain to be welcomed by the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, who is likely to invite the ASTI leadership for talks shortly.
Meanwhile, Mr Dempsey said yesterday he had approved another 460 postgraduate places for degree students who wish to qualify as primary teachers. This brings to 1,913 the number of places made available on primary teaching postgraduate courses in the past five years.
He acknowledged the assistance of the colleges of education in helping to expand teacher-training numbers. The new course will commence in the colleges of education in January/February. Applications for the course will be invited through the national newspapers. The return date for completed application forms is Thursday 12 December, 2002.