ASTI members to refuse supervision and substitution work along with further strike days

Teachers who are represented by the ASTI will not be partaking in any supervision or substitution work from Monday, the day before teachers are due to undertake their second day of planned strike action in a row over pay.

The ASTI today confirmed that up to 17,500 teachers who are members of the ASTI will withdraw from supervision and substitution from Monday November 7.

Teachers balloted in October in favour of pulling out from duties relating to supervision and substition, with an overwhelming 78% of members in favour of withdrawing from those roles.

The ballot followed a decision by the Department of Education and Skills not to pay monies due in recognition of supervision and substitution work to teachers who are members of the ASTI.

ASTI President Ed Byrne said ASTI members will present for teaching duties as normal on Monday. He added that the union will continue to engage with the Department of Education and Skills and will work to avert next week’s industrial action.

However, he said that expecting ASTI members to undertake supervision and substitution work for no pay while their colleagues in other teacher unions are receiving a payment is unacceptable.

“It was always inevitable that deducting pay from ASTI teachers for supervision and substitution work would lead to a withdrawal from this work. We made this clear to the Department as early as July of this year. Teachers received a commitment under the Haddington Road Agreement that this money would be paid. We delivered on all aspects of the Haddington Road Agreement,” said ASTI President Ed Byrne. “The Department’s decision to pursue this course of action is extremely problematic in terms of resolving this dispute.”

Mr Byrne was speaking after a briefing meeting of ASTI Standing Committee representatives held in Dublin today.

In addition to withdrawal from supervision and substitution ASTI members will engage in a series of strike days over unequal pay for recently qualified teachers as follows: