Sir, – The claims of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) in terms of pay parity for recent joiners seems entirely legitimate and any counter position both unfair and unsustainable.
My question is why there needs to be multiple days of action – and not just one? The Luas drivers seemed to start the trend by announcing 11 days of industrial action.
Doesn’t one big day – with all the attendant publicity – make the point with eloquence and integrity? Every successive day merely drains the public sympathy. In case you hadn’t guessed, I have a daughter in sixth year.
– Yours, etc,
PETER ROBBINS
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – One of our politicians justified their pay “restoration” on the basis that TDs shouldn’t be “beholden” to anyone. Surely the same, in spades, applies to the gardaí.
Education is the best social equaliser we have. We need to attract and keep good people in education. – Yours, etc,
MUIRIS DE BHULBH
Co Chill Dara.
Sir, – The Graphic of the Week (News Review, October 29th) provides interesting statistics on the teachers’ strike.
However, probably like most readers, I have no idea of the sizes of the various teachers’ unions. What are the membership numbers for the ASTI, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) and INTO and what are their membership fees?
Does the militant stance being taken by the ASTI suggest it has been losing members to the other unions? – Yours, etc,
MIKE CORMACK
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Fintan O'Mahony (Opinion, October 28th) claims teachers were not really aware of the consequences of various actions . I have yet to meet a confused teacher on these matters.
We all knew where withdrawing from supervision and substitution was likely to lead. As for trying to separate Junior Cert [reform] from the conflict, it is the Government who has tried to impose poorly thought-out change while simultaneously cutting everything in sight.
Does he really think a few strike days were going to rattle this Government? Mr O’Mahony proposes no concrete alternative except going back into Lansdowne Road.
He is right to point out the union’s isolation but wrong to think this alone is a reason to retreat. We can be miserable with the other unions? Result: a demoralised profession and a two-tier pay scale.
Can he point to a deal that has left us in a better place in the last 10 years? Instead the plan has generally been to just act as a temporary brake to a gradual eradication of terms and conditions. – Yours, etc,
BARRY HAZEL
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – Nobody has raised the issue of school management – that is principals and vice-principals being members of the same union as staff.
Surely this is a unique arrangement as I would have thought that on appointment to a management position a teacher should relinquish Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) membership.
This would avoid scenarios of principals having to comply with “directives” such as non-cooperation with alternative arrangements for supervision and substitution.
Principals of course should not be precluded from membership of principal specific unions or representative bodies.
– Yours, etc,
A HEFFERNAN
Dundrum,
Dublin 14.