Teachers are justifiably angry. Pay cuts and pension levies have impacted heavily on the profession. Newly-qualified teachers, in particular, have been hit hard by lower payscales. There is also resentment over the manner additional working hours have been imposed on a profession which prides itself on going beyond the call of duty for students.
There is little justification, however, for the manner in which the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) has brought hundreds of secondary schools to the brink of unprecedented upheaval.
Widespread school closures loom today as a result of a one-day strike. More significantly, hundreds of schools may not open for an indefinite period following mid-term due to the union’s planned withdrawal of supervision and substitution cover.
Students in exam years face uncertainty and additional stress. Parents who are struggling to balance work and family commitments find their schedules thrown into chaos. Teachers and principals in dual-union schools must deal with lingering tension arising from the action.
The anger and frustration felt by ASTI members is shared by those in their sister unions, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation. However, the leadership of these other unions have taken very different paths.
They secured pay increases of between 15 and 22 per cent for new teachers between now and January of 2018, significantly narrowing the two-tier gap; both unions say they are pledged to securing full pay equality. In addition, they have obtained more flexible use of additional working hours and faster access to permanent posts for part-time members. All of this has been secured through constructive dialogue without any disruption to the education system.
By contrast, the ASTI’s leadership has spurned talks, rejected offers and failed to provide a coherent basis for real engagement with the Department of Education. The union is fighting battles on multiple fronts, including additional working hours, junior cycle reform and new entrant pay.
By any objective measure, the scale of the planned action is disproportionate. The decision of the union’s executive not to co-operate with contingency plans to help keep schools open following the withdrawal of supervision duties, for instance, is calculated to cause maximum disruption.
It is doubtful whether ordinary members were fully aware of the scale of action planned by its leadership.
Like other teachers’ union, the ASTI has legitimate grievances. But it has focused on conflict rather than compromise. It must start engaging constructively in pursuit of realistic aims that will not collapse the public sector pay deal signed up to by more than 250,000 workers. The mid-term break provides a crucial window.