Written Answers. - ASTI Dispute.
Andrew Boylan
Question:
251
Mr. Boylan
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the qualifications of the supervisors currently employed in schools; the upper age limit for applicants; if they have within their power the right to expel students from a school; and the ratio of supervisors to pupils.
[10842/02]
Róisín Shortall
Question:
252
Ms Shortall
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the cost per week to date of the contingency plan for supervision and substitution; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many schools have over-run the budget provided to them; his views on whether this plan is not sustainable in the medium term due to escalating costs; his plans to negotiate a settlement with teachers to carry out this work; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10843/02]
Róisín Shortall
Question:
253
Ms Shortall
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
if his attention has been drawn to the huge burden of additional work imposed on principals and deputy principals in operating the contingency plan; the negative implications for the regular school work of principals and deputy principals; if he will make provision for administration of secretarial assistance by way of personnel or grant to avoid other essential work being neglected; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10844/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 251, 252 and 253 together.
I am aware of the pressures on school managements in order to ensure that schools remain open after the ASTI directive to its members to withdraw from voluntary supervision and substitution duties, took effect on 4 March 2002.
Contingency arrangements were drawn up by the representative management groups, the Joint Managerial Body, JMB, the Irish Vocational Education Association, IVEA, and the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools, ACCS, following detailed discussions with officials of my Department. As part of the contingency arrangements, my Department undertook to resource schools so that they could employ staff to provide supervision and thereby remain open. In addition, my Department undertook to recoup the cost to the management authorities in advertising for, recruiting and training personnel to provide supervision services in schools on a temporary contractual basis.
Supervisors who contracted for delivery of supervision services are being remunerated at a daily contract rate of €68.56, based on a minimum of two hours supervision. Where further supervision above these two hours is required, this is being remunerated at €34.28 per additional hour. This is the equivalent to the hourly rate offered to teachers.
For purposes of the contingency arrangements, payments have been made to schools by my Department, calculated on the basis of €1,270 per whole time equivalent teacher post per annum. In addition, funding has also been provided to cover employers' PRSI and holiday pay. Under the contingency arrangements a payment amounting to 5% of supervision costs is been provided to schools to pay for additional support, including secretarial assistance. In aggregate, the sum disbursed to schools amounts to some €9 million, which equates to nine weeks calculated in accordance with the above formula. The contingency plan acknowledges that supplementary allocations may need to be made to some schools at a later stage if their approved outgoings are greater than the amount of the grant.
The Joint Managerial Body, JMB, placed advertisements on behalf of the managerial authorities in the national media over the weekend of the 16-17 February and also operated a telephone help-line for schools. My Department has recouped €114,258 to the JMB to offset the cost of providing these services to date.
In addition, training was organised by the JMB for personnel engaged by the schools by way of a day long seminar organised in a number of different venues nationwide. Schools were also advised to arrange for a period of local induction to familiarise new employees with their specific duties and the school.
The contingency plan, by its nature, is flexible and does not specify a pupil-supervisor ratio, as it is recognised that the number of persons required would vary from school to school depending on the layout, both internal and external.
Under the terms of the contingency plan, schools were advised that all supervisors should be recruited in accordance with appropriate employment equality legislation. As many of the personnel to be employed may not have a background in teaching or dealing with young people, schools were advised to either seek references and clear the background of the new employees. Schools were also advised that it was necessary for schools as part of the recruitment and appointment process to secure and check character references and to make such inquiries, as the school considers necessary, to satisfy itself as to the character of each appointee. In addition, schools are obliged to obtain from the Garda a satisfactory clearance report in respect of each appointee. Supervisors employed do not have the right to expel pupils.
The current position is that the INTO has accepted my Department's proposals for payment on the basis of €34.28 per hour. The TUI and ASTI have rejected them.
The ASTI issued a directive to its members to withdraw from supervision and substitution with effect from 4 March 2002. The directive applies to supervision at break times and before and after school and to substitution by permanent teachers for absent colleagues.
On Friday, 15 February, the ASTI made a new set of demands in relation to supervision and substitution. These were a minimum annual rate of €2,500; that it be pensionable; available to existing pensioners in compensation for having done this for free over a number of years; and that it be within the 22 hours weekly maximum teaching time.
I met the three teacher unions on 28 February 2002. I indicated that the Government is not opposed to the pensionability of supervision payments. In that regard, I offered to enter into a process at the end of the current school year to work out the details of an arrangement that would be consistent with the requirements for pensionability. I also indicated that the procedures provided by the conciliation and arbitration scheme for teachers should be used to deal with the issue of an appropriate payment rate for supervision. These procedures include independent arbitration where the parties cannot agree.
My approach was welcomed by the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the Teachers' Union of Ireland but rejected by the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland. The ASTI central executive has since decided not to enter into any further negotiations on this matter pending the settlement of its pay claim.
At a meeting of the Teachers Conciliation Council on 12 March, the TUI and INTO requested that further discussions take place on the issue of supervision and substitution. These discussions commenced today with the aid of a facilitator. The ASTI has taken the view that it is not prepared to deal with this issue within the teachers' conciliation and arbitration scheme, which is the agreed industrial relations forum for processing these matters.
