Arrangements for this year's Leaving and Junior Cert exams are set to be reviewed by the Department of Education in light of a crucial meeting next weekend of secondary teachers.
At its executive meeting on Saturday the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) is set to back a series of rolling strikes beginning on Tuesday week next and a ban on all exam work from February 3rd.
With the oral/practical exams not due to begin until March/April, the Department will not finalise detailed plans for alternative arrangements for several weeks.
The Department, however, has not ruled out deferral/postponement of oral and practical exams if the dispute is still unresolved by April. It is thought the Department will be guided at all times by the need to protect the Leaving Certificate exams.
It has not ruled out abandoning the Junior Cert exam entirely if this becomes essential to protect the Leaving Certificate. Saturday's ASTI meeting is set to back continuing non-co-operation with peace moves in the dispute unless the Government agrees to refund five days' pay which was "docked" last month.
The Government withheld payments for days when ASTI members reported for work as normal, but refused to supervise students. This led to the closure of most schools. All ASTI members were docked pay, even those, such as principals and their deputies, who were working normally.
Outrage within the union has given a new lease of life to its pay campaign, which has failed to make much progress in recent weeks.
With the deductions issue unresolved, the teachers' dispute is now deadlocked. ASTI is refusing to co-operate with the mediator in the dispute, Mr Tom Pomphrett, in protest at the deductions.
Plans to deduct pay for another day next week have been suspended by the Department of Education as informal efforts continue to revive peace moves.
Several key figures within the ASTI executive hope to build an alliance with members of the Teachers' Union of Ireland. The TUI is planning a special congress on pay on January 27th. To date, ASTI has failed to win support of the TUI or the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO). Both the TUI and INTO accepted the terms of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness and are taking part in the new benchmarking pay review.
Last night, TUI president Mr John Mac Gabhann expressed confidence that his members would emerge with a pay increase of at least 20 per cent from the benchmarking process. The union is now preparing its submission to the benchmarking body. Mr Mac Gabhann said detailed research prepared by his union showed clearly how teachers' pay had fallen well behind comparable professions.