SECONDARY teachers are believed to have rejected the Government's £66.7 million offer on pay and conditions. The result of the ballot held by the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) will be announced today.
The anticipated result would throw into disarray the reform plans of the Minister for Education, and raise the prospect of renewed industrial unrest in schools.
It could also undermine efforts to achieve industrial peace in other sectors, and to negotiate a successor to the Programme for Competitiveness and Work.
The result of the vote by members of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), the principal union in community and vocational schools, will also be announced this evening.
Informed sources in the ASTI said last night that balloting at branch meetings over the past three weeks is likely to result in a narrow rejection of the offer. The union leadership put the deal forward without a recommendation.
The largest teachers' union, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), approved the deal a fortnight ago, by 67 to 33 per cent.
With the teachers' conferences due to begin in 10 days, it is likely that urgent talks will be convened next week between the unions and the Government to discuss the outcome.
However, it is unclear how the deal might be revived. The Government has indicated it is unable to offer any more money, or to drop its requirement for increased productivity.
Opposition arose to a wide variety of issues, so the negotiators may find it difficult to come up with a more acceptable package. The main objections were to basing all promotions on merit and assigning specific responsibilities to middle ranking teachers.
Primary school teachers are likely to push for the implementation of the offer in their sector.
