Brian O'Shea
Ceist:403 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science the action he will take in regard to continuing talks with the ASTI (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29411/00]
Written Answers. - ASTI Talks.
The ASTI lodged its claim for an immediate 30% increase last March. My Department negotiated with the ASTI and made an offer on its claim. The offer was not acceptable to the ASTI. The matter was then referred to an agreed independent board to adjudicate on the matter. The ASTI accepted that the independent arbitration board was the appropriate body to adjudicate on its claim and both the ASTI and my Department put our arguments to the board. The board rejected the 30% claim and recommended the pay increases applying to other teachers and public servants under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness should be applied to ASTI members. It also recommended that its claim should be further examined by the independent body, under the chairmanship of a High Court judge, set up to examine all public service pay and known as the Public Service Benchmarking Body. The board further stated that it did not believe that "it would be appropriate for it to determine the pay for one particular group of workers outside the norms which have been accepted by the majority of workers having regard to all the consequences which could flow from such a course of action."
I immediately implemented the recommendations of the independent arbitration board which has resulted in an increase of 8.5% being applied to teachers' salaries from 1 October last. The improved terms of the PPF agreed between the social partners last week will give teachers improved increases over the next two years amounting in total to a cumulative pay increase of almost 22% under the PPF. In addition teachers will also receive the benefits of tax cuts under the PPF worth at least a further 10%. The new PPF terms also provide that one quarter of any increase arising from the report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body will be implemented with effect from 1 December next.
I met ASTI on Monday, 4 December. This was in response to numerous public statements from them seeking to meet me and the clear expression by both the Taoiseach and myself of our willingness to listen to its views. While I listened carefully to the views and suggestions put to me, it was clear that the ASTI position had not changed and that it wanted to be treated completely separately from other public service unions. However, I am shocked and dismayed at the latest ASTI decision to escalate its industrial action to include further strike days and the ban on co-operation with leaving certificate and junior certificate examinations. The fact that this decision was made at the end of a week in which the improved terms of the PPF together with the budget tax concessions were accepted by other public service unions, including the other two teacher unions, as meeting their immediate concerns makes the ASTI position even harder to understand.
The social partnership framework provides appropriate and adequate means of addressing the issues of concern to the ASTI and I am available at any time to meet the ASTI to progress matters within that framework. However, I am in complete agreement with the views of the independent Arbitration Board that the ASTI members cannot be dealt with outside the norms which have been accepted by the majority of workers, including other teachers.