SECONDARY TEACHERS are to press ahead with a ban on parent-teacher meetings outside of regular school hours this autumn, in a move that brings them into direct confrontation with the Department of Education.
The decision by the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (Asti) has sparked a furious reaction from the National Parents Council post primary (NPCpp).
It says the move will greatly inconvenience working parents, and those in precarious jobs who are reluctant to ask for time off.
Last night, Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe, expressed disappointment. But the department is thought reluctant to dock teachers’ pay as talks continue with the unions arising from the McCarthy report on public service cuts.
Secondary teachers were paid for a series of productivity concessions – including out-of-hours parent-teacher meetings and a common school year – as part of the last national pay deal.
But in a letter to 18,000 Asti members yesterday, general secretary John White says a union directive “means that if a parent-teacher meeting is scheduled to take place outside of school hours, no Asti member should attend.”
The move comes as schools prepare for parent-teacher meetings over the coming weeks, especially for Junior and Leaving Cert classes. Principals say many parent-teacher meetings will have to be rescheduled because of the latest Asti move.
The Asti had been widely expected to lift its ban on parent-teacher meetings this weekend after discussions with parent groups.
But in a surprise decision, the union executive pressed ahead with the ban amid growing anger among members about possible pay cuts in the public sector.
Rose Tully, president of the parents’ council, said she was very disappointed by the ASTI decision “at this difficult time when parents and teachers should be working together.”
Many working parents, she said, would find it very difficult to attend parent-teacher meetings despite their critical importance for parents and for pupils.
Under the Sustaining Progressprocess, teachers received additional payments for a series of concessions on productivity. These included new arrangements for three parent-teacher meetings between 4.15pm-6.45pm per year.
In all, teachers received six separate payments and a cumulative 14 per cent pay increase since January 2004.
But the Asti points out that the Government has breached the current pay deal. It says members are furious about the combined impact of the pension levy, cuts in the supervision and substitution scheme and the ban on promotion.
The Asti first agreed the ban on parent-teacher meetings at its annual conference last Easter. But its impact will only be felt in coming weeks.
Over the weekend, Mr White wrote to union shop stewards in order to clarify the impact of the ban, amid some confusion in schools.
The union has also issued a series of other directives in protest against the education cuts – and public sector pay cuts.
The Asti and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland have issued directives limiting co-operation with school inspections.
The second-level unions are also refusing to attend staff meetings and school development planning outside of school hours.