IBEC says withhold teachers' payment

The employers' group IBEC has urged the Government to withhold the payment of benchmarking awards from teachers if they refuse to teach the new Junior Cert science syllabus.

Last night IBEC said the threat of industrial action by national school teachers was also grounds for withholding pay awards under benchmarking.

ASTI has issued a directive to its members not to co-operate with the to roll-out of the science syllabus until schools are given modern laboratories. It also wants school laboratory assistants and comprehensive in-service training for teachers before the new syllabus goes ahead.

INTO has threatened industrial action over the standard of school buildings in the primary sector. It claims the current standard of many school buildings in unacceptable and says its members are willing to strike over the issue if the Government does not invest heavily in improving conditions for both pupils and staff. ASTI members are due to receive a further 10 per cent pay rise from the national pay deal and benchmarking in January. INTO members are due pay increases of 21.67 per cent to June 2005, 13 per cent of which is under benchmarking.

Mr Brendan McGinty, director of industrial relations at IBEC, last night said the threat from INTO was a "flagrant breach" of Sustaining Progress.

He added the threat from ASTI was an attempt to undermine the modernisation and change commitments agreed in exchange for the pay increases under benchmarking. "There is no justification for the ASTI directive when there are at least 250 schools with fully up to date laboratories capable of the full implementation on the syllabus," he said.

"Job losses are running at 500 per week and IDA Ireland has predicted that job losses in the multinational sector may be as high as 15,000 in 2003. It is clear that the private sector automatically, through the market, has to bear the brunt of the economic downturn."

He added the public sector must also show the capacity to adapt and change. "We are all entitled as taxpayers to expect that the public service unions fulfil their commitments under Sustaining Progress rather than pursuing self interest through disputes which cause hardship to the public."