ALTHOUGH its hands are effectively tied by the central executive committee's decision not to recommend the package, the ASTI leadership has been fighting a rear guard action to persuade the rank and file of the merits of the deal.
Faced with trenchant and well organised opposition internally, the head office has hit back with its own version of "the facts" behind the deal. This is in response to claims from the Dublin South 2 branch which assistant general secretary John White describes as "ill informed and fundamentally misleading".
The union is badly split on the proposals, as reflected in the vote of about 100 to 60 on the CEC against recommending the package.
There were rowdy scenes at a recent information meeting in Dun Laoghaire, which continued for four hours and was frequently interrupted by bickering and the trading of insults. The other regional meetings have passed off more quietly.
Opposition is strongest among older, male teachers, many of whom are union activists. This could mean that the agreement may receive a more favourable reception from the general membership than it did at the CEC.
Although there are concerns about early retirement and the quid pro quo, the vote will be decided on teachers' reaction to the proposals for a new promotions system.
On this, older teachers tend to be dubious about the opening up of promotional posts to some measure of open competition. This is reflected in the claim by the Dublin South 2 branch that teachers will lose their "guarantee" of a B post after so many years.
But as the leadership correctly points out, there is no such guarantee. It is true, though, that most teachers have had a near certainty of obtaining a post eventually - if they are prepared to wait long enough.
The leadership has also pointed out that the arbitrator in a recent judgment decided that capability and suitability could be the criteria for awarding a post, with seniority only coming into play when two candidates were equal otherwise.
The union has also accused the Dublin South 2 branch of trying to "dupe" members with false information about the options available under the PCW. The branch had claimed the ASTI could negotiate just an early retirement deal and extra allowances under option B of the PCW, but the leadership says only one claim can be negotiated under this option.
The union's information document on the deal runs to an unwieldy 35 pages, but a helpline has also been set up to deal with members' inquiries. The number is 1850418400.
At this stage, it is virtually impossible to predict how the vote in the ASTI will turn out. Even the leadership admits privately that the deal is "on a knife edge". In the end, the votes of the more politically apathetic, younger teachers may decide the result.
