Pay talks
The ASTI, INTO and TUI are attending talks between unions representing public sector workers and Government officials on pay for post 2010 entrants. The three teacher unions have been engaging in a joint campaign for equal pay since the beginning of the school year. This has included the adoption of a similar motion at all three teacher union annual conferences stating that failure to resolve the issue of unequal pay for post 2010 entrants to teaching will lead to a campaign of industrial action, as mandated by members
At the talks between the public sector unions and Government officials, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform stated that the total cost of achieving equal pay scales across the public sector is €195 million. This is based on a methodology of adjusting incremental scales by two points. The cost of adjusting the teachers’ pay scale in this way is €59 million, according to the Department of PER.
On the first day of the talks, the teacher unions made it clear that they expected all of the issues with regard to post 2010 teachers’ pay to be addressed. These are:
· The pay cut applied to new entrants to the public sector in 2011.
· The outstanding teacher qualification allowance.
· The fact that post 2010 teachers are appointed to the first point of the pay scale instead of the third point.
At its recent meeting on May 12th, ASTI Central Executive Council considered a report on the pay talks. ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie told the meeting that the ASTI has made it clear that a resolution to the problem of post 2010 teachers’ pay must involve addressing all three issues. In this context CEC adopted the following motion:
In light of the failure of the equal pay talks to conclude within the timeframe specified in the Standing Committee urgent motion to ASTI Convention 2018 – that is, by early May – that CEC ballot members for industrial action on the issue of equal pay, up to and including strike action, to be taken in conjunction with the other teacher unions.
ASTI is making arrangements for a ballot in the autumn.
Further updates will be posted on this website.
Junior Cycle update
The ASTI continues to highlight issues of concern to its members at the Junior Cycle Framework Implementation Committee.
These include use of professional time and arrangements for Subject Learning and Assessment Review (SLAR) meetings. The union is working to ensure that appropriate implementation of these meetings in accordance with the Appendix to the Joint Statement on Principles and Implementation on Junior Cycle reform and subsequent assurances given by the Department of Education Skills in response to ASTI representations.
Section 9.7 of the Appendix to the Joint Statement on Principles and Implementation on Junior Cycle states:
The 40 minute professional time period provided within timetable is available to teachers on the basis that they will use this time flexibly including bundling time periods and carrying forward time to facilitate professional collaboration. Teachers may also use the time periods for individual planning, feedback or reporting activities relating to Junior Cycle. In particular, time periods will need to be bundled to facilitate SLAR meetings. Since professional collaboration meetings can only be held when the relevant subject teachers can be present, a limited number of meetings may need to draw on teachers’ bundled time to run beyond normal school tuition hours for some of the duration of the meeting.
At its meeting on May 12th, ASTI Central Executive Council (CEC) adopted the following motion:
That CEC adopt the view that the current arrangement for SLAR meetings, where a portion of all these meetings takes place outside of school time, contravenes section 9.7 of the appendix to Joint Statement on Principles and Implementation on Junior Cycle reform.
Therefore CEC adopt the view that section 9.7 means that all SLAR meetings must be scheduled to start and end within normal school tuition hours, and only a limited number may run over, and issue a directive to members to comply.
This motion requires a ballot of members. ASTI is making arrangements for a ballot in autumn.
Further updates will be posted on this website.
