ASTI CONFERENCE:SECONDARY TEACHERS demanded "a clear proposal on industrial action" after protracted and heated debate at the ASTI conference in Killarney yesterday.
Delegates elected to send back an emergency motion on the pension levy that was deemed too “weak” and “appalling” to merit a vote. The ASTI standing committee last night reworked the motion to include a proposal on industrial action. A vote on it will take place after a private debate today.
Debating the motion yesterday,delegates expressed anger that the ASTI was the only teachers’ union with no threat of action on the table. The emergency motion; stating that “the ASTI deplores the unfair and inequitable imposition of the public service pension levy and commits the ASTI to work towards its removal for all public servants” did not go to a vote because the delegation concluded it had little chance of being passed without a commitment to industrial action.
“This is a pathetic response from our standing committee to a situation the like of which we have never seen,” said delegate Seán Fallon. “We are a bullied profession with very low morale and now we are showing all the signs and symptoms.”
Mark Walsh, a part-time teacher and delegate, warned the conference that failure to take specific action in protest at the levy would undermine the standing of the ASTI. “If we can’t act on our own pay and conditions and fight to win a single issue on the pension levy, why would anyone take us seriously on the more general education cuts? We have to put down a very specific motion on the type of action we are prepared to take to abolish the pension levy,” said Mr Walsh.
“The Siptu education branch, the INTO and the TUI have all voted for action.
“We are the only union not voting on action and this has to change,” he said.
“We are expected to bring back a course of action to our schools,” said Ruth Coppinger. “This is the most important thing to hit our union in its centenary history. It’s not a pensions levy, but a public service tax; a penalty for working in the public sector.” The ASTI standing committee revisited the proposal last evening and it was agreed at conference that the issue would be debated, in private, “for as long as necessary” until consensus on action could be reached.
Other motions scheduled for today have been moved to accommodate the debate on industrial action. “We need to debate in private session and to emerge united in a decision on action after a long debate,” said Gretta Harrison.
Meanwhile the ASTI is threatening legal action over changes to the early retirement scheme. The action could be taken on behalf of 18 teachers, the majority of whom work in Belcamp School in north Dublin, due to close in June.