The decision by the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland, (ASTI) to re-enter the talks process in its pay dispute with the Government will be greeted with relief by parents and students. Hopes will be raised that the union's strike action will be now suspended. It may be that its threat to ban exam work from early next month will not now be activated. But it is important to keep yesterdays events in perspective. The ASTI has only agreed to re-enter so-called "talks about talks".
Its demand for a 30 per cent salary increase remains on the table. The Government remains adamant any pay increase will be determined by the benchmarking body established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF). The mediator in the dispute, Mr Tom Pomphrett of the Labour Relations Commission, will not find it easy to square the circle.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was right to help end the logjam in the dispute by agreeing to refund money docked for work-to-rule days "without prejudice". In truth, the docking of pay at a time when earlier peace moves were in train before Christmas was a strategic blunder. It only succeeded in breathing new life into a pay campaign which had failed to achieve real progress. Although couched in the most diplomatic terms, Mr Ahern's letter - which repeated an offer first made in his article in this newspaper - was a tacit admission that the Government had made an error.
Mr Pomphrett is expected to begin work on a new peace formula early next week. The ASTI may suspend its campaign of one-day rolling strikes while peace moves are under way. With luck, the ASTI central executive could be in a position to endorse a new peace proposal within the next fortnight. Although it has won a victory and defied its detractors it may be that the ASTI has little alternative but to re-enter its campaign at this juncture. The union has been badly split over its strategy. One group maintains the union needs an exit strategy, but the other is determined to fight on. Even after this dispute has long ended, serious damage to the ASTI could linger.
Its campaign of industrial action has failed to catch fire with the public. Critically, its efforts to draw support from the leadership of the other teaching unions - the Irish National Teachers' Organisation and the Teachers' Union of Ireland - were a miserable failure. Almost one year after it signalled its new brand of tough, uncompromising trade unionism, ASTI remains on a solo run.
It seems probable that Mr Pomphrett will propose some kind of forum which will run in parallel with the benchmarking body. This could allow both the Government and the ASTI to maintain their positions without losing face. The Government can preserve its public pay policy while the ASTI can maintain its opposition in principle to benchmarking. This is the most optimistic scenario. But it must prevail. As the clock ticks towards this summer's State exams, the ASTI dispute must be resolved - and resolved as soon as possible. Further disruption of the school year and further uncertainty for Leaving Certificate students in particular is unacceptable.