The Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) will be disappointed - but not, one suspects, totally surprised - by today's Irish Times/MRBI poll. The poll findings confirm what has been evident for some time: the ASTI has failed to mobilise public opinion behind its campaign for a 30 per cent pay increase.
When the public was polled by this newspaper last April, opinion was evenly divided on the merits of the ASTI claim. Today's poll presents a more difficult picture for the union. A clear majority of respondents (53 per cent) does not believe the union's pay demand is justified. To make matters worse, this level of opposition to ASTI is evident across party political lines and, most strikingly, among students. Male voters also take a hard line against the ASTI campaign, with 58 per cent opposing it.
Some will be surprised by the findings. As a profession, teachers are held in high regard by the community. The education system in this State is much cherished, certainly when compared to the situation in Britain. Almost 70 per cent of those polled by MRBI for this newspaper last year expressed general satisfaction with the Irish education system. But this level of contentment has produced few dividends for the ASTI in terms of public support.
In truth, the ASTI campaign has faced several difficulties. The union's failure to secure support from the other teaching unions has damaged its case in the public mind. The public has been asking why ASTI - alone among the three teaching unions - had to close schools when 35,000 teachers in the INTO and the TUI were content to pursue similar demands through negotiation.
The internal divisions within the union have also damaged its case. To the public, the union has often appeared more concerned with internecine battles than with the future of Irish education. It may not be entirely fair, but the charge made by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, that the strike may be driven in part by internal power struggles has made its mark with the public.
The poll will hardly strengthen the hand of ASTI negotiators as Labour Court talks begin on their pay claim. For all that, the union should be commended for its weekend decision to enter talks. It may well be the four-to-one vote in favour of negotiation marks a watershed in this dispute. There are encouraging signs that many in the ASTI have had enough of confrontation and now want to compromise.
The Labour Court can help by delivering a decent pay increase for teachers which does not undermine the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. Most fairminded people accept that teachers deserve a pay increase; most accept that teachers have fallen behind other graduate professions. Today's poll should not be seen as a criticism of teachers. The public remains on their side. But they oppose an ASTI campaign which has damaged students, worried their parents and undermined the good standing of the profession. The hope must be that the poll findings will help the moderate and sensible voices within the union to prevail.