Secondary teachers will be asked to defer a decision today on a new inspection system for schools until their pay dispute with the Government is settled.
The move follows comments from the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in which he said a 30 per cent special pay claim from secondary teachers cannot be entertained.
The general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), Mr Charlie Lennon, accused Mr Ahern of "exacerbating" tensions among teachers over pay.
The ASTI is holding a special conference on the inspection system but pay is expected to dominate following Mr Ahern's comments that the Government will not deal with groups outside the national pay deal.
About 500 secondary teachers are expected to attend the meeting to discuss Whole School Evaluation (WSE), but sources said a motion would be tabled calling for the deferral of a vote on WSE.
ASTI is planning to lodge its claim shortly and has warned that if the claim is not granted its members may be balloted for industrial action. However, it is unlikely industrial action would take place in this school year, said some sources yesterday.
In relation to the ASTI's claim, Mr Ahern said in the Dail on Thursday: "The Government cannot contemplate any response to such a claim". He added: "If there is one lesson to be learned from the way public service pay developed in recent years, it is the impossibility of trying to single out any group as apparently unique and deserving of special treatment".
Some members may push to reject WSE if the Government does not grant the pay increase, but other members are trying to separate the two issues.
The deputy general secretary of the ASTI, Mr John White, will make a presentation on WSE to delegates at the meeting.