Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----and that others will follow. It is important to note that there are two disputes causing industrial action on the part of the ASTI at present. The first relates to the withdrawal from supervision and substitution, which is likely to cause indefinite closures from 7 November on, affecting over 250,000 students and parents. That is the result of the ASTI's withdrawal from carrying out the 33 hours per year under the Croke Park agreement. There is a deal on the table which will see payments for supervision and substitution restored, as well as a number of other benefits to ASTI members, if they agree to carry out the 33 hours under the Croke Park agreement and suspend their industrial action. At the heart of that dispute is less than an hour per week, agreed in previous public pay deals, to allow schools to host planning meetings and parent-teacher meetings outside school hours.

I am sure the Deputy would agree with it. Similar hours are worked across the public service. Most public servants agreed to work 100 extra hours per year, as against 33 in the education sector. The Deputy is aware that the TUI and INTO have already negotiated an agreement and are benefitting from the Landsdowne Road agreement.

The dispute which caused the one day stoppage last week was about new entrant teachers. There is a deal on offer to the ASTI which would see increases of 15% and 22% for new entrant teachers with further benefits in working conditions and a route to a further possible improvement through the public pay commission, which is entitled to do a specific analysis of teacher pay and conditions. The deals being paid to the TUI and INTO are available to ASTI. The starting figures will increase by 15% between August of this year and 1 January 2018, from €31,000 to €35,600. An individual member recruited since 1 September 2015 will see a 22% increase in pay from 31 August this year to 1 January 2018, from €31,000 to €37,700. The ASTI's decision to withdraw from supervision and substitution was a unilateral decision which deprived its members of benefits. If it reversed the ban, the benefits would be available to them forthwith. The agreements reached with the TUI and INTO speak for themselves.

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