Department of Education to implement pay freezes for ASTI teachers

MARTIN WALL

The Department of Education is planning to implement pay freezes for members of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) by asking rival union members to sign a consent form to avail of pay increases.

A circular is expected to be issued shortly which will detail how the department plans to implement pay deductions triggered by the ASTI’s decision to reject working additional hours.

It is likely to ask members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland to sign a consent form in which members would agree to their union affiliation being used by the department’s payroll systems.

This would allow members of the TUI to receive an additional €800 for taking part in supervision and substitution duties.

This follows the ASTI's decision last month to withdraw from working so-called Croke Park hours, which require teachers to work an additional hour a week.

These non-teaching hours are typically used for school planning and staff meetings, but are widely resented by many union members who regard them as “detention for teachers”.

The union’s vote to withdraw the hours means they are set to flout provisions of the Lansdowne Road agreement from July 1st.

This move is set to trigger a range of penalties and pay freezes under the financial emergency legislation. This, in turn, is likely to lead to strike action and widespread school closures in the autumn.

The first penalty they are likely to face is losing about €800 scheduled to be part of their salary for September for supervision.

In addition, ASTI members would not be able to avail of pay increments which are likely to be paid from November onwards.

‘Repudiating’

In all, the department has warned that ASTI teachers could lose out on up to €31,000 over the next four years by “repudiating” elements of a previous pay deal they signed up to.

The move to ask TUI members to identify themselves has been considered before in other disputes. It is likely a consent form would only be sent to about 100 community and comprehensive schools, where there are members of both the ASTI and the TUI.

The vast majority of ASTI members are based in voluntary secondary schools, while TUI members are concentrated in those run by education and training boards.

A delegation from the ASTI met Minister for Education Richard Bruton on Wednesday, although this discussion focused on a separate dispute relating to junior cycle reform. Sources say there was no discussion on the Croke Park hours issue.

This issue is likely to flare up later in the year as thousands of junior cycle students in schools staffed by ASTI members will automatically lose 10 per cent in their English exams if the union maintains its opposition to the reforms.