The general secretary of the ASTI, Mr Charlie Lennon, has warned members they could face an angry backlash from the public if there is widespread disruption in secondary schools when the ban on supervision begins today.
Mr Lennon sounded his warning in a confidential briefing to members last Friday in Limerick. He said the union's policy on refusing to negotiate on the supervision/substitution offer, until its 30 per cent pay demand was settled, was hard to sustain. However, he said he would implement the union's wishes.
He said the union's members could not avoid responsibility if there was disruption in schools today. The public and the media, he warned, would blame the ASTI.
Mr Lennon, who refused to discuss the issue when contacted by The Irish Times last night, made his comments during a debate at the union's central executive committee (CEC).
Despite his advice, the CEC voted 87 to 69 to reject any further talks on supervision/substitution until the pay demand was settled. According to Mr Lennon, this effectively meant the union would not negotiate on supervision until after the benchmarking body reports in June.
Mr Lennon's comments are seen as further evidence of deep divisions within ASTI over strategy. Some in the leadership have been unhappy at the hardline tactics adopted by the CEC and the union's powerful 23-member standing committee.
The union has also hardened its stance on the benchmarking body and has issued an internal document outlining 12 reasons why it is not right for the education sector.
From this morning over 2,500 non-teachers will do supervision and substitution work in hundreds of post-primary schools. They are guaranteed a minimum payment of €68 per day, and can earn €34 per hour after that.
With no sign of the ASTI moving towards an accommodation with the Government on the issue, some observers believe this group may be asked to do the work on a more permanent basis.
However, there are fears that many of them could face a hostile reception this week. Some teachers do not want them to use the staffroom, while others have told The Irish Times they will not speak to them.
The staffroom is the property of the school and can be used by any employee, school managers have emphasised.
Yesterday school managers insisted virtually all schools would open today, although a small number may only cater for exam students on the first day and send the remainder home.
Mr George O'Callaghan, head of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), which represents hundreds of secondary schools, said he had not been contacted by any school which planned to close this morning. "We do not know of any which are due to close, although some may not be able to cater for all years," he said.
Mr Michael Moriarty of the Irish Vocational Education Association, which represents VECs, said all the schools in his sector would be opening. He said the dispute was not "of our making". "Our job is to do everything to keep schools open and that is what we are trying to do", he said.
Some schools in the Tallaght area, such as St Marks and Tallaght Community School, are only accepting exam students. Newpark Comprehensive in south Dublin is letting its pupils go home mid-morning so that non-teachers can be trained.
Although many schools are confident they can operate as normal, some observers believe the strain will show later in the week when the supply of supervisors dries up. "Some schools only have people for certain days, so cover may be a bit thin later in the week, particularly if one or two people drop out," said one education source.