BERNADINE O'SULLIVAN.
Sir, - I was surprised to read in The Irish Times last August that the ASTI had decided to enter talks on supervision and substitution. Convention 2001 had overwhelmingly voted not to do so. I believe the matter should have been dealt with in the context of an overall just claim for proper remuneration, so I have since refrained from commenting on or influencing anyone on this issue.
Decisions reached with the proper authority in our union have always received my support. An article by Sean Flynn (The Irish Times, February 26th) dealt with criticism of so called "hardliners" in our union by a retired member who was president almost 30 years ago. To support a pay claim, balloted among members of convention, standing committee and CEC, whose salaries had been positioned downwards during our period of greatest curricular and social change in our schools, is to be labelled a "hardliner"? Is this part of a strategy to undermine, not just our campaign, but our union?
The former president who has greatly criticised the ASTI's democratic decisions has invited me to debate these decisions in your Letters page. The place to do this is within the structures of our union and with those currently making the decisions. Is he unaware that I have not been a member of standing committee since Easter 2001? Instead of labelling our current standing committee, which unanimously voted to affirm the ASTI opposition to benchmarking, the former president could focus on the hardline approach of this Government to teachers and to the whole area of public service pay and pensions.
In a letter to ASTI last May, when industrial harmony had returned to the schools, the Taoiseach refused an invitation to enter direct talks because "there was no basis for meeting the ASTI". The Government wishes to solve the matter of supervision and substitution by separating out what we do as professionals and paying for it in non-pensionable lump sums. Reward systems which are based on individualism and are not pensionable is the real agenda on public service pay of the Fitzpatrick report to the Taoiseach.
Teachers will have to focus on proving their own productivity in various schemes in school to eke out an existence. The generosity, goodwill and collegiality which has been the hallmark of our education system will disappear. The end result will be that publicly funded schools here, as those in Britain and elsewhere, will be unable to attract or retain staff.
That is what our campaign is really about and it is a privilege to be involved with it. - Yours, etc.,
BERNADINE O'SULLIVAN.
Fortfield Road,
Dublin 6W.