A new round of school closures moved nearer at the weekend after secondary teachers reacted angrily to reports that the Labour Court will not meet their deadline for resolving the dispute. The Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland had wanted its executive meeting next Saturday to decide on the Labour Court recommendations.
However, as The Irish Times reported on Saturday, the Labour Court is unlikely to deliver its recommendation within the time-frame set by the union.
Last night, hardliners expressed anger at the development. One said that the union was ready to press ahead with a series of one-day stoppages, beginning the week after next, if the Labour Court did not issue proposals. In contrast to the approach of its hardliners, the ASTI leadership is expected to argue for a flexible approach and does not foresee any difficulty with a short delay.
The Labour Court began to consider the complex teachers' dispute only last week, as it has been preoccupied with the Aer Lingus dispute. Both the ASTI and the Department of Education are expected to be called before the court for further consultations during this week.
The 22-member standing committee of the ASTI is due to meet on Thursday to consider the dispute. But this meeting could be brought forward if there is a prolonged delay with the Labour Court recommendation. It is unclear whether next Saturday's meeting of the full 180-member central executive will proceed as scheduled.
Meanwhile, later today the ASTI is due to meet a delegation from the National Parents' Council (Post-Primary). The parents' group has become increasingly militant since its leadership was restructured earlier this year. Last night, its president, Ms Maria Danaswamy, said that her organisation would pursue every legal avenue to ensure that this year's exams proceeded normally.
The council also wants parents to supervise the Junior and Leaving Certificate exams if teachers refuse.
It will also meet the Teachers' Union of Ireland, which is currently putting together its submission to the Government's benchmarking pay review body.
The TUI president, Mr John Mac Gabhann, has said he is confident his union can win a hefty increase via this route.