The Teachers’ Union of Ireland has warned that it will give every consideration to any request from the ASTI to support its pay dispute by refusing to mark this year's exams. However, the General Secretary of the TUI, Jim Dorney, said that no such request had yet been received and a decision would ultimately be a matter for the TUI Executive. The TUI is Ireland’s second largest second-level teachers' union.
Following the weekend rejection by the Association of Secondary Teachers of peace proposals put forward by the Labour Relations Commission, a series of rolling strikes is set to begin next week and the union is to ban exam work from next month. Some ASTI members say that they believe neither the Leaving nor the Junior Cert exams can be held without their co-operation.
Meanwhile, the Dáil Committee on Education and Science is to meet tomorrow week in a special session to discuss the current impasse in the teachers’ dispute. The dispute is between the secondary teachers’ union, ASTI, and the Minister for Education, Dr Michael Woods. The Fine Gael education spokesman, Enda Kenny, had asked the Committee to invite an ASTI delegation, Department of Education officials and representatives of the National Parents Council to address them on the dispute.
