In a significant departure from its recent hardline approach, the ASTI executive voted yesterday to ballot members on the new national pay deal.
Members will be balloted on the deal - which delivers a 21 per cent pay increase - without any recommendation from the ASTI executive.
Significantly, ASTI has signalled that it is prepared to open talks on a "modernisation" agenda for education if members back the new pay deal.
This could open the way for talks on such issues as parent/teacher meetings at night and a common school year.
ASTI members stand to gain a 7 per cent pay increase from the new national partnership deal, Sustaining Progress.
They could also gain an additional 13.5 per cent if they sign up to the "modernisation" programme which emerged from the benchmarking pay review.
ASTI refused to take part in the benchmarking process and played no part in the negotiation which led to the benchmark awards.
Some in the ASTI leadership said the process would lead to the "industrialisation" of teaching. The ballot on the new pay deal is scheduled to take place from March 31st to April 7th next.
Yesterday's developments will encourage those who believe teachers will back the €38 per hour supervision offer in the ballot now under way. Most observers say the vote will be close. Last year, ASTI members voted to accept the supervision deal by a 60:40 margin.
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 next Friday.
Yesterday's developments come amid complaints from some grassroots members that the leadership no longer reflects their views. The failure of ASTI's campaign for a 30 per cent pay increase and the poor publicity the union attracted has prompted a great deal of soul-searching within ASTI.
In yesterday's vote, CEC members made it clear that ASTI should participate in any talks on the working conditions of teachers, if the new pay deal is accepted. In marked contrast to this, ASTI took no part in talks on the last two national pay deals and on the benchmarking process.
At yesterday's CEC, members voted by 107-47 against a motion calling on them to reject the entire benchmarking process. The vote was a setback for several key figures in the ASTI leadership.
ASTI was the only teaching union which stood aside from the benchmarking process and the recent national pay deals. Both the INTO and the TUI participated fully. Both of these unions are balloting members on the new pay deal in postal ballots over the next month.
