ASTI deal may save pupils from being penalised in exams

Thousands of junior cycle students in schools staffed by members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) would avoid losing 10 per cent in their exams under the terms of a deal which the union will consider on Wednesday.

The union’s standing committee is to due to consider proposals aimed at resolving an industrial dispute which caused the closure of hundreds of secondary schools earlier this month.

The Irish Times understands the proposals are broad-ranging and include plans to narrow the pay gap for new entrants, the restoration of posts of responsibility in schools and increased flexibility over the use of additional "Croke Park" hours. These measures would be in exchange for the union agreeing to lift its ban on working additional hours and to recommence supervision and substitution duties. On the issue of junior cycle reform, the deal is understood to include assurances that no element of assessment for State certification purposes is or will be conducted by the teacher.

English exam

If the union agreed to drop its ban on co-operating with classroom-based assessments, it is likely that students would be facilitated to complete a crucial assessment task in the new year which accounts for 10 per cent of next year’s English exam.

Selling the overall deal to the ASTI’s members may be challenging, however, given that most measures were secured by other teachers’ unions, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, earlier this year. In fact, members of both unions were present during the ASTI’s talks with the Department of Education before the Teachers’ Conciliation Council over recent weeks.

A decision by the ASTI’s standing committee over whether to support the deal will be crucial in determining whether it will be supported by the union’s 180-member central executive committee.

This group will ultimately decide whether to direct the union's 17,000 members to support or reject the deal. Minister for Education Richard Bruton declined to comment on the developments on Tuesday except to say he hoped the talks would lead to a "good outcome".

Contingency plans

“I understand that documents are being prepared for both sides. But I am not going to comment on the content of those,” he said.

“I know that people have put in long hours, on all sides, and I would like to thank them and the Teachers’ Conciliation Council for the work they have put in to date.”

Last week, it emerged that the ASTI had dropped its ban on its principals co-operating with contingency plans to keep schools open in the event that the union resumes industrial action over the coming weeks.

The move means the indefinite closure of some secondary schools, which affected more than 200,000 students last month, is less likely if the talks do not result in a successful outcome.

The ASTI’s withdrawal of supervision duties and strike action over new-entrant pay led to the closure of more than 400 secondary schools on health and safety grounds following the mid-term break.

However, senior members of the union have warned that the ASTI may resume its industrial action if a significant deal is not brokered.