Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Byrne for raising the issue. I absolutely agree this is a major concern for students and parents alike. I am very disappointed at the decision of the ASTI to take industrial action, and it will cause serious disruption for up to 250,000 students and their parents. However, talks have been continuing all this week and last week on both of the issues to which the Deputy referred, specifically junior certificate reform and the current dispute. We are working really hard to try to find a solution.

It is important to recognise the dispute we are facing on Monday is not about newly qualified teachers' pay but rather the withdrawal of supervision and substitution services, which could cause indefinite closure of schools that would be directly affected. It is important to put this in context because the withdrawal of supervision and substitution is the withdrawal of a core part of a teacher's duties. As the Deputy knows, in July the ASTI decided unilaterally to withdraw from working 33 so-called Croke Park hours, which facilitate parents and students with important meetings not in school time. These extra hours apply throughout the public service so it is not fair or equitable for one group of public servants to decide they will withdraw from these contractual hours when every other public servant works them. That caused the withdrawal of the benefits that accrue under the Lansdowne Road agreement, including the substitution and supervision payment that every other teacher gets.

I agree with Deputy Byrne that we must try to explain to teachers the benefits on the table with this deal. I have tried hard to progressively improve the position of teachers through negotiations with both the INTO and TUI. As the Deputy knows, we achieved flexibility in the use of Croke Park hours in May and in September we achieved a breakthrough on a deal for newly qualified teachers that provides up to a 22% increase in pay for those teachers. In the budget we provided for new posts of promotional opportunities for teachers. We have been trying to extend the benefits of these various agreements to ASTI members, and that is why we are so keen to continue trying to resolve this.

With regard to contingency plans, the ultimate decision of whether to have a school open is a matter for each school. However, we sought to keep schools open, get agreement from the ASTI that principals would co-operate with the deployment of alternative staff and that we would be given enough time for the schools to recruit those alternative staff so it would be possible for schools to remain open. Unfortunately, the ASTI declined to do this. As a result, many schools have had to make a decision on whether they can meet health and safety requirements of supervision of children. It is our understanding that a large number of schools will not be able to remain open once supervision and substitution services are withdrawn. Schools will notify parents as each school will make a different decision, based on particular circumstances. As the Deputy knows, some secondary schools are entirely made up of TUI teachers, some are mixed and some are made up of ASTI teachers. It is ultimately the schools that will have to make that decision based on health and safety considerations.

I assure the Deputy that throughout this I have been at pains to seek to keep schools open and extend to ASTI members the benefits that are possible.

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