The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, has told the ASTI that he will press ahead with completely new arrangements for school supervision if it rejects the €38 per hour offer, writes Sean Flynn, Education Editor
In a blunt warning, Mr Dempsey also said that there was "no question" of 17,000 ASTI members receiving the 13 per cent due from benchmarking unless they backed the proposals in a ballot.
Mr Dempsey said the forthcoming ballot on supervision and substitution work represented a "final chance" for secondary teachers to sign up to the deal. The ASTI leadership has recommended rejection of the proposals in the ballot which begins in a fortnight's time.
The Minister said he was ready to press ahead with entirely new arrangements for supervision if the ASTI rejected the deal. These new arrangements would be in place from next September if the ASTI voted no.
The current ad-hoc arrangements involving the use of non-teachers could not continue indefinitely. Under the new system, there would be permanent contracts for members of the public who chose to do supervision and substitution work.
Mr Dempsey also called on all ASTI members to vote in the ballot from March 3rd next instead of leaving it to those with strong views. . ."working to a different agenda".
His comments reflect the unease within the Department of Education that the ASTI leadership is no longer representative of the broad membership.
Attendance at ASTI branch meetings has been particularly low in recent months, according to one ASTI official.
The Minister also said he was prepared to break the common basic scale - which covers all teachers at both primary and second level - if the ASTI rejected benchmarking.
The 180-member ASTI executive will decide shortly on the benchmarking issue. It is likely to ballot members but it could recommend rejection of the deal.
The ASTI refused to participate in the benchmarking process. Some of its leadership claimed benchmarking would lead to performance-related pay and non-pensionable payments but this is not the case.
The Government paid the ASTI the full terms of the last pay deal, the PPF, even though it opted out of the talks.
The Minister warned that the ASTI would not be paid the benchmarking money as this was contingent on co-operation with the "modernisation" agenda.
Broadly, the other teaching unions have agreed to discussions on parent/teacher meetings at more flexible times and discussions on a standardised school year.
The Minister said: "The ASTI won't get the 13 per cent unless they sign up for benchmarking".
The ASTI withdrew from supervision work as part of its 30 per cent pay claim almost one year ago.