Sir, - Once again, the Labour Party has misread the mood of the people. Ms Roisin Shortall (The Irish Times, March 15th) believes the Government should surrender to blackmail and overturn the established industrial relations machinery of the State simply to satisfy the pampered whims of the ASTI.
This is a tiny group which left the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and has consistently thumbed its nose at the PPF while continuing to accept the tax and wage benefits of the agreement. The PPF has been accepted by the vast majority of trade unionists in this State. Are their views of no consequence to Ms Shortall?
The ASTI has rejected a finding of the Labour Court without even the decency of putting that finding to a ballot of its members. Instead, it has adopted the cowardly tactic of threatening innocent examination students and putting their future careers at risk. For any government to surrender to such bullying tactics would constitute an outrageous dereliction of duty.
The ASTI needs to enter the real world. No group of workers can simply demand a wage increase without offering productivity concessions in return. As for Ms Shortall's call for the Government to run up the white flag, if this constitutes Labour Party industrial relations policy, then God help up all if they ever get into power.
I, for one, will be volunteering to supervise and mark exam papers so that the Leaving and Junior Certificate exams can go ahead. I appeal to all civicminded parents to do the same. - Yours, etc.,
M. Magill Howth, Co. Dublin