Joe Higgins
Question:110. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the industrial action being taken by secondary school teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42510/13]
View answerTuesday, 26 November 2013
Questions (110, 112, 124)
Thomas Pringle
Question:112. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding talks with the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50111/13]
View answerJoe Higgins
Question:124. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has met, or is planning to meet, representatives of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland. [42511/13]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 110, 112 and 124 together.
The context of the Haddington Road Agreement was the need to address the major and unprecedented financial difficulties facing the State. At this stage all Public Service unions, with the exception of ASTI have accepted the terms of this Agreement. The position now is that ASTI members have not accepted the Agreement and are not operating the changes to the supervision and substitution scheme provided for in the Agreement that the other teacher unions are operating. Given that position I have indicated, as has my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, that the continued payment of the supervision and substitution allowance to ASTI members is unsustainable.
We have provided time and space for the recent discussions between officials from my Department and the ASTI in a final effort to resolve this issue, and it is now a matter for the membership of the ASTI to make their decision in relation to the outcome of those discussions. However, I would be less than frank if I did not make the point to the House that the payment of the supervision and substitution allowance cannot be continued.
It is now a matter for the membership of the ASTI to make their decision in relation to the outcome of those discussions. I would like to take this opportunity to restate the significant benefits which will accrue to ASTI members if they accept the Haddington Road Agreement. These include:
- Improved levels of payment for newly qualified teachers
- A review of the usage of the 33 additional hours required by teachers under Croke Park
- A firm timetable on the establishment of an expert group to examine casualisation in the teaching profession
- The introduction of additional assistant principal posts to support the management of schools.I welcome the fact that the ASTI have agreed to re-ballot their members on the Haddington Road Agreement, and I hope that ASTI members will accept the benefits of the Agreement.
Question No. 111 answered with Question No. 106.