The Government's plans to correct this year's exams without striking secondary teachers appeared to be in disarray last night with primary teachers and lecturers refusing to act as examiners.
The Government was depending on both groups to come forward, but they have refused to do the work while the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) is on strike.
Their decision is a severe blow to the Government's plans. While it can still recruit graduates, the Department of Education was hoping to get some people in the education system, such as teachers and academics, to act as examiners.
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has declined to negotiate directly with the ASTI and will tell the union this in a letter to its leadership within 48 hours, it is understood. Today the ASTI stages another national strike, with up to 500 schools due to close.
The general secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), Senator Joe O'Toole, said he would shortly be advising his members not to correct exams. He said the INTO had to "respect" the decision of the ASTI to take industrial action. He said INTO members would also not be available to supervise exams because they worked during June.
Ms Marnie Holborow , president of SIPTU's education branch, which represents 2,000 lecturing staff, said any request from the Government to mark exams would be turned down. The other group which represents university lecturers - the Irish Federation of University Teachers - has not formulated its policy on exams yet. But sources have indicated that most of its members would not be available for such work.
The Cabinet yesterday heard details of the Department of Education's contingency plan to deal with the exams. It is understood gardai will be involved, but only in providing security for exam papers in transit, which they traditionally do in many areas.
Relations between the ASTI and the Government have deteriorated in recent days and yesterday a Government spokesman again criticised the union for not balloting its 17,000 members on the Labour Court recommendation.
The spokesman also said it was not right for ASTI members to describe people who replaced them as supervisors as strike-breakers. "Teachers do supervision under a separate contract to their teaching contract, so it is not right to call those who want to do supervision strike breakers," said the spokesman.
The spokesman said the Taoiseach had never seen any union reject the recommendations of every single independent forum set up to deal with pay claims. He said this included the Labour Court, "the highest industrial relations body in the land".
The strike by ASTI members today will be followed by further strikes next Tuesday and Wednesday. The week after that will see a three-day strike. The union will continue this pattern after that until the exams.