Secondary teachers have warned they will step up their dispute if the Government does not begin to seriously address their pay claim by the weekend.
The comments came after a rally attended by up to 12,000 members of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland outside the Dail yesterday.
The rally meant classes in more than 600 schools were closed for the eighth day since mid-November. Unless a solution is found another strike is due to take place on December 14th.
Informal contacts are continuing between the union and the Department of Education. The ASTI leadership is hoping the Department will provide some kind of negotiating forum to consider its 30 per cent claim.
Any forum is likely to be linked to the Government's bench marking body, set up under the national pay deal.
The union's general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon said: "Other groups which declared a dispute or took direct action were brought quietly into talks. Teachers are looking for the same treatment."
This weekend's deadline has been set because ASTI's executive meets on Saturday to consider their next move. The most likely escalation is withdrawing from exams.
Yesterday the former ASTI president, Ms Bernadine O'Sullivan, said the union should not enter "a dressed-up version of benchmarking", which she said would seek to impose performance-related pay. Most observers believe the ASTI might take a special teachers' pay forum if it was offered. However, it remains determined to get a pay award this year rather than later.
ASTI president Mr Don McCluskey told the crowd: "I wish to assure everyone that the ASTI will do all in its power to achieve for our members a fair salary and will do all in its power to enhance the status and professionalism of teaching, which can only be of benefit to all concerned."
The union said the rally turnout was a "powerful signal to the Government". Among the attendance were members of the Teachers Union of Ireland and several secondary school pupils with placards supporting the ASTI's pay claim.
The general secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, Senator Joe O'Toole, was strongly criticised by large sections of the crowd.
Earlier in the day a small group of parents staged a march from ASTI's headquarters to the Department of Education in Marlborough Street.
They handed in a letter of protest to the Department and were joined in the protest by several Leaving Certificate students.
Also marching yesterday were third-level students, who handed in a letter of protest to the Department of Finance highlighting the low level of maintenance grants.