Secondary school disruption in autumn likely, signals Bruton

Disruption in second levels schools from September now seems set to proceed, Minister for Education Richard Bruton has indicated.

The Minister's comments followed the rejection by the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) of new Government proposals aimed at effectively for the present putting on hold rows over the implementation of the Lansdowne Road pay and productivity agreement to provide space for further talks between the parties.

Under the proposals, ASTI members would have continued to work controversial additional unpaid hours - known as the Croke Park hours - until the end of October, while the Government would have held off from imposing financial penalties on teachers for repudiating the Lansdowne Road accord.

However, the proposals were turned down by the ASTI after it met with the Department of Education on Thursday.

ASTI members had several weeks ago voted to withdraw from performing the 33 unpaid annual hours originally agreed under the previous Croke Park agreement in 2010.

The ASTI said its directive to members on non-implementation of the 33 Croke Park hours had now been issued to members and would come into force next Monday, July 11th.

Mr Bruton said he was disappointed at the decision of the ASTI’s standing committee to reject the new Department of Education proposals.

He said the ASTI “now appears intent on proceeding with their action, which will lead to disruption in schools in the new school year”.

He stated that, “despite the union’s clear intention”, he remained genuinely of the belief that continuing dialogue between his department and the ASTI was in the best interests of schools, parents, students and teachers.

He said the Department of Education would be seeking arrangements for discussions to continue.

Realistic timeframe

It is understood that under the Department of Education proposal, ASTI members would have been required to continue to work the additional unpaid hours and other requirements of the Lansdowne Road deal until the end of October, which it considered to be a realistic timeframe for dialogue.

It is understood the Department of Education maintained at the meeting on Thursday that its proposals were not intended as a precondition to talks but were rather aimed at creating “a more constructive context within which talks can proceed”.

Members of the ASTI and rank-and-file gardaí and Defence Forces personnel represented by PDforra are facing the freezing of incremental pay rises after being considered by the Government to have repudiated the Lansdowne Road agreement.

On Friday PDforra, the association representing soldiers, sailors and aircrew of the Permanent Defence Force, said the imposition of an increment freeze on its members was “both provocative and inappropriate”.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Defence said it remained " in active discussions with PDforra and did not wish to speculate on the outcome at this point".