AILEEN O'DONNELL,
Sir, - Your Editorial (February 12th) is factually incorrect. It states that "late last year over 70 per cent of ASTI members voted to co-operate with the benchmarking pay review body".
You should know that a survey is not a vote otherwise Mr Ahern would have a survey on the Nice Treaty rather than a ballot which delivered the wrong result.
Much has been made of one question on a 12-question survey. It asked: "Do you want to send the ASTI submission to the benchmarking body?" This was an incomplete question, as it did not explain that this would involve making an oral presentation to the benchmarking process and thereby become part of it. The question should have been: "Do you want to go into benchmarking?"
When a direct question asking the members of ASTI should they "take no action until the benchmarking body reports"? 53 per cent responded, yes. These seemingly contradictory responses are an indication of how badly designed and confusing the questionnaire was.
Our standing committee unanimously affirmed its position on benchmarking this year, and I as a CEC member was one of the 95 per cent who also affirmed this when the issues had been clearly debated. Your assertion that a small coterie in the ASTI is provoking a crisis is untrue. In October 2001, members voted in a properly conducted ballot to withdraw from voluntary supervision and substitution. We have waited for five months before taking action on the members' decision. - Yours, etc.,
AILEEN O'DONNELL,
Chairperson,
A.S.T.I.,
Dublin South West Branch,
Fortfield Road,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.