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07/10/2016
Secondary School Teachers Balloted On Possible Strike Action
Members of trade union Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) are being balloted on taking possible strike action due to a dispute over pay and conditions.
The organisation said industrial action is on the cards due to issues surrounding recently qualified teachers' pay as well as the worsening of pay and conditions.
Speaking at a conference this week, ASTI President Ed Byrne told over 100 school principals that teachers who entered the profession since 2012 are earning 20% less than the 2010 starting salary.
In addition, Mr Byrne said new teachers are being paid below the OECD average despite the relatively high cost of living in Ireland, while many spend a number of years in part-time positions earning a fraction of their full-time salary.
"Multiple cuts to teachers' pay, teacher numbers, school funding, posts of responsibility, and resources for students coincided with the implementation of multiple new initiatives such as the literacy and numeracy strategy, the Framework for Junior Cycle, the Wellbeing in Post Primary Schools initiative and new inspection processes," he said.
"We were asked to do much more with much less for the sake of saving the economy. That crisis is over. To ask teachers to continue to sign up to cuts to vital student services, deteriorated terms and conditions, and significantly inferior pay scales for recently qualified teachers, is asking them to collude in the downgrading of public education and teaching in Ireland."
Talks are currently underway between the Department of Education and Skills and ASTI on current issues concerning both parties.
"We believe these issues can and should be resolved through dialogue," Mr Byrne added. "However, recent measures such as the worsening of ASTI members' terms and conditions are extremely unhelpful in this context."
(LM)
The organisation said industrial action is on the cards due to issues surrounding recently qualified teachers' pay as well as the worsening of pay and conditions.
Speaking at a conference this week, ASTI President Ed Byrne told over 100 school principals that teachers who entered the profession since 2012 are earning 20% less than the 2010 starting salary.
In addition, Mr Byrne said new teachers are being paid below the OECD average despite the relatively high cost of living in Ireland, while many spend a number of years in part-time positions earning a fraction of their full-time salary.
"Multiple cuts to teachers' pay, teacher numbers, school funding, posts of responsibility, and resources for students coincided with the implementation of multiple new initiatives such as the literacy and numeracy strategy, the Framework for Junior Cycle, the Wellbeing in Post Primary Schools initiative and new inspection processes," he said.
"We were asked to do much more with much less for the sake of saving the economy. That crisis is over. To ask teachers to continue to sign up to cuts to vital student services, deteriorated terms and conditions, and significantly inferior pay scales for recently qualified teachers, is asking them to collude in the downgrading of public education and teaching in Ireland."
Talks are currently underway between the Department of Education and Skills and ASTI on current issues concerning both parties.
"We believe these issues can and should be resolved through dialogue," Mr Byrne added. "However, recent measures such as the worsening of ASTI members' terms and conditions are extremely unhelpful in this context."
(LM)
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