Over 500 second-level schools could close from mid-January if the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) rejects the Haddington Road agreement and a dispute commences over supervision and substitution duties, Government sources believe.
The cabinet decided last week that if the ASTI votes again to reject the Haddington Road deal in a ballot currently underway , supervision and substitution would become unpaid and mandatory for its members from January 17th.
It is understood that the Department of Education will formally set out this position in a circular to schools in the weeks ahead if the ASTI votes against the agreement.
Government sources believe that if the ASTI subsequently directed members not to carry out supervision and substitution duties, schools where it has a significant number of members could not stay open.
Government sources estimated that there are around 500 schools where the ASTI is either the dominant trade union or has a significant number of members.
Ultimately it would be a matter for individual boards of management in schools to determine whether they should stay open.
It is understood the Government made no provision for non-union members to accept the Haddington Road agreement if they wished on an individual basis.
Separately figures released by the Department of Education maintained that young teachers who are members of the ASTI will be more than €220 per month worse off than their counterparts in the Teachers Union of Ireland, if they vote to reject the Haddington Road agreement.
The Department of Education stated that for ASTI members who commenced their careers in 2012 they would be worse off by €734 per month by 2020 if the Haddington Road deal was rejected and the Government imposed the provision of financial emergency legislation and ended payments for supervision and substitution duties.
Members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland have accepted the Haddington Road agreement, however the ASTI is currently balloting again on the deal with a recommendation and members should vote against it.
The figures released by the Department of Education maintained that an ASTI member who started teaching in 2012 would be worse off by €222 per month in salary form next February if Haddington Road was rejected compared with a teacher in the Teachers’ Union of Ireland.
It said an ASTI member who started their teaching career in 2011 would be worse off by €164 per month or €660 per month by 2020.
The Department of Education maintained that an ASTI member with seven years experience would be worse off by €139 per month from next February or €339 per month in 2020 compared with a member of the Teacher’s Union of Ireland.
The Department of Education said that an assistant principal in a school on the top of their pay scale would be €2 per month worse off from February or €330 per month by 2020 compared with a member of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland.
The larger salary loss by 2020 takes account of the non-payment of increments and the fact that ASTI members would not have payments previously made for supervision and substitution duties re-incorporated into salary by 2017/2018 as will members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland.
