The ASTI has voted to review the performance of its general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, despite legal advice that this could leave the union vulnerable to an expensive legal challenge, writes Sean Flynn, Education Editor.
A meeting of the union's Central Executive Committee (CEC) voted by a narrow margin yesterday to convene a further meeting to review Mr Lennon's performance. An attempt will be made at this meeting to establish a special committee to conduct the review. But any such move is likely to be challenged in the courts by Mr Lennon.
The highly charged meeting exposed the bitter, personalised split in the union. Mr Lennon received a standing ovation from some after a very personal, emotional address in which he defended his position. But the anti-Lennon camp still prevailed by 76 votes to 72. The executive voted to proceed despite a warning from the union's legal advisers that a review of this nature could expose the union to an expensive legal challenge from Mr Lennon. Mr Lennon would make no comment last night. But there is speculation that he will seek a High Court review if any attempt is made to remove him.
In his address, Mr Lennon said that those who sought to undermine the pay campaign should, at last, take responsibility for what they had done. This was a reference to those he regards as "hard-liners" in the union's executive.
He said he had performed his duties to the very best of his abilities during the union's troubled three-year pay campaign. He had advised the union that it would be difficult to secure its 30 per cent pay demand once it had left the ICTU - but this had not been heeded.
Mr Lennon also spoke about the manner in which head office staff had been greatly upset about some of the things said or implied by a section within the union.
A date for the CEC meeting which will review Mr Lennon's performance will now be decided by the union president, Mr P.J. Sheehy.
In an Irish Times interview this week, he said that he too had been subject to abuse and vilification after he moved to get ordinary ASTI members a vote on the supervision and benchmarking deals.
A huge majority of ASTI members voted to defy the union by supporting both deals in recent months.
At the outset of yesterday's meeting, Mr Sheehy reminded the meeting of the legal advice obtained by the union.
Broadly, this was that Mr Lennon was entitled to natural justice and that there were other mechanisms available for a review of his performance.
At its meeting, the ASTI executive also voted to oppose any move to reintroduce third-level fees. It called on the Minister to implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Science.