Many parents, most of them all too familiar with the concept of performance-related pay, will be dismayed by the refusal of some of the teacher unions even to countenance Government plans for some kind of performance measurement. Over the weekend the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) declared it was poised to take any industrial action necessary if performance-related pay forms part of any new national pay deal. On Saturday members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) voted to leave the ICTU in protest at Congress's apparent readiness to consider performance-related pay as part of the new national pay deal.
Amid all the bluster one might be forgiven for thinking that a new draconian pay mechanism was about to be introduced in which teachers' pay would be linked to exam results or other crude measures. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ICTU is discussing the general concept of performance-related pay across the public service. No specific proposals have been tabled in respect of teachers but there is no question of performance-related pay as most people understand the term. What the Government is considering is a performance management programme where teachers are asked to meet specific objectives as part of overall school planning. At this stage, the concept is poorly defined but the objective is clear: to bring modern management techniques into every teachers' staffroom in the State.
That, in itself, is an admirable goal which teachers should be ready to embrace. Many at a senior level in the INTO and the ASTI know their unions must be ready to accept new management and accountability structures. But there are others across all the main teaching unions who appear determined to hold back the tide. The current turbulent mood in the teachers' unions may be driven as much by concerns over pay levels than the wider issue of performance-related pay. Many rank and file teachers have little patience with the carefully nuanced pay strategy of their leadership; they believe teachers can secure a substantial pay award only by adopting the confrontational approach which helped the nurses and the Garda.
It is a time for mature reflection by some in the teachers' unions. The teaching profession enjoys a high level of public support in this State. Most people readily acknowledge the contribution the teaching corps has made to economic and social progress and would probably support a decent pay rise for them. But in return the public is entitled to expect a greater level of accountability. A balanced agreement incorporating both elements could still be secured as part of the national pay talks. Those in the ASTI who believe they are better off opting out of the ICTU to pursue a 30 per cent pay claim are deluding themselves. As it is, the furious reaction of some in the TUI and the ASTI to the proposals sends the worst kind of signal to parents. When the rest of society is embracing change teachers should not be hyper-sensitive about increased accountability.