Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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163. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills provisions will be put in place to help junior and leaving certificate students catch up on classes that will be lost due to the ongoing teachers' strike. [33053/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I am disappointed at the decision of the ASTI to take industrial action and the major disruption caused last Thursday to over 250,000 students and their parents and potential further disruption from Monday onwards. Talks between ASTI and my Department are continuing this week. I have continually stated that dialogue between my Department and ASTI is in the best interests of schools, parents, students and teachers. I hope that parties can re-engage urgently with a view to working towards a resolution in order to avoid further disruption from Monday onwards. This is an unnecessary dispute in my view as the issues in the dispute have been dealt with in deals with other unions.

It is important to note that ASTI currently have four separate disputes with the Department. Within these particular issues there are two separate industrial actions on two separate issues causing the current stoppages in the ASTI dispute:

Firstly, the series of one-day strikes by ASTI members on the issue of new entrant pay – starting last Thursday 27 October and continuing on six additional days from Tuesday 8 November.

Secondly, the withdrawal from supervision and substitution duties (i.e. substituting for absent colleagues and supervising yards/communal areas etc. before and after school and at break times) on an indefinite basis starting from Monday 7 November. Since the Haddington Road Agreement, these duties are a core part of teachers’ duties, as set out in a Department circular at that time.

In relation to new entrant teachers - there is a deal on offer to ASTI which would see pay increases of 15% and 22% for new entrant teachers. The recent agreement reached with TUI and INTO in effect reverses the decision to withdraw qualification allowances from post-1 February 2012 entrant teachers.

When other Lansdowne Road increases are also factored in, there will be a 15% increase in the starting pay of new entrant teachers between 31 August 2016 and 1 January 2018 (from €31,009 to €35,602). For an individual TUI/INTO member who started teaching in September 2015, they will see a 22% increase in their pay (including increment) between 31 August 2016 and 1 January 2018 (from €31,009 to €37,723).

In relation to the withdrawal from supervision and substitution - there is also a deal on the table which would see payments for supervision and substitution restored, as well as a whole series of other benefits.

I have offered on several occasions to suspend the implementation of measures associated with ASTI's repudiation of the Lansdowne Road Agreement, if the union suspend their directive to withdraw from the Croke Park hours. This would provide a more constructive context for talks to take place. It would also mean that thousands of ASTI teachers would receive the payment for supervision and substitution as well as other benefits and protections, under the Lansdowne Road Agreement, including:

- Avoiding a 2 year increment freeze;

- Addition of the S&S allowance of €1,592 into the teacher pay scale;

- The Ward Report measures and a revised sequence for filling posts which enable fixed-term and part-time teachers to gain permanent, full-time jobs more easily and quickly than before;

- Continued alleviation of the FEMPI Act pay reductions;

- An increase in the quantum of the Croke Park hours that can be worked on other than a whole-school basis;

- A review of the usage of the Croke Park hours; and

- Protection against compulsory redundancy.

Unfortunately, ASTI have refused this offer thus far, but it remains open to them.

The Croke Park hours are at the heart of this dispute – less than an hour a week, agreed in previous public service pay deals, to allow schools host planning meetings and parent teacher meetings outside of school time. Similar hours are worked across the public service. In fact, most public servants agreed to work 100 extra hours per year, compared to the 33 per year for teachers.

In respect of the withdrawal from S&S from 7 November, this obviously poses a serious health and safety concern. In those circumstances, there is an obligation on the Department to do everything possible to put in place alternative arrangements for supervision and substitution so as to keep the maximum possible number of schools open. However, given ASTI’s refusal to allow their principals cooperate with contingency arrangements, and given their failure to agree to the Department’s request to give adequate notice of industrial action to allow external supervisors be recruited, ASTI’s actions will lead to widespread closures form Monday onwards.