Attempts to prevent a strike by 16,000 second-level teachers failed yesterday.
A meeting in Dublin between the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) and the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, ended without agreement.
Dr Woods told the teachers talks could only progress within the terms of the national pay agreement and social partnership needed to be maintained at all costs.
Speaking to The Irish Times last night, Dr Woods said he was now "greatly concerned that parents and children will suffer". He said he was especially concerned for students doing Junior and Leaving Certificate exams.
The ASTI was disappointed that no progress was made at the meeting. It said industrial action would begin on November 14th over its 30 per cent pay claim.
At the meeting, Dr Woods told the four ASTI representatives the Government could not go outside the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF), although he recognised there were difficulties with the pay scale for teachers.
Dr Woods told them they should not lightly reject the potential for pay awards under the benchmarking body set up under the PPF. He said teachers were unhappy with the time it took to reach the top of their pay scale but this could only be reformed within the PPF.
The Departments of the Taoiseach and Finance are now heavily involved in the dispute and have been emphasising the importance of keeping the PPF afloat. An ASTI statement after the meeting said: "The Minister's only response was to cite the terms of the PPF. The ASTI has been pursuing a pay claim for its members outside the terms of the PPF since March of this year and has already made it quite clear to the Minister and his Department that the pay terms of the PPF do not address our claim."
Today the three teacher unions - ASTI, the TUI and the INTO - will meet and may agree a joint strategy, although previous attempts to agree one have failed.
The general secretary of the INTO, Senator Joe O'Toole, has claimed his union will also get a 30 per cent pay increase by using the benchmarking process. He said the expected increase in the PPF to compensate for inflation would also help teachers get 30 per cent.
The ASTI executive does not accept this view and is only willing to accept an immediate 30 per cent pay increase across all grades. It has sent its members details of how the strike will be conducted. No strike pay will be paid as the union says it does not have enough money. Some parttime teachers who work a small number of hours will get a payment.
The TUI executive will meet on Friday week to discuss balloting its 10,000 members on industrial action. It has warned the Government to bring forward the benchmarking part of the PPF or it will take similar action to the ASTI.