Directive urges limited co-operation on levy

THE ASTI leadership has sent directives to schools to withdraw or limit co-operation with activities such as parent-teacher meetings, school development planning and whole school evaluation.

The directives were announced after second-level teachers overwhelmingly supported a strategy of opposition to the pension levy, “up to and including strike action” at yesterday’s ASTI conference in Killarney.

Delegates spent most of the day meeting in private as their three- day annual conference came to an end. The protest motion, rewritten on Wednesday to reflect the anger of members, states that “the ASTI condemns the draconian and inequitable pension levy and calls for its abolition”.

The union already has a mandate for a two-day action voted by congress earlier this year.

Directives have been sent to secondary schools around the country instructing non-co-operation in a range of activities, including roles left vacant by the moratorium on posts of responsibilities.

From Monday, ASTI members will be instructed not to take up the vacated middle management positions such as year head, which is likely to affect functions such as discipline, timetabling, exams and pastoral duties in schools, say management.

The call for an all-out strike is seen by many as a symbolic move that has little support among root-and-branch members. “The nuclear option is not an option unless the entire public service acts together,” said ASTI delegate Tony McKernan.

Eilís Casey said the timing of any action would have to take the State exams into consideration and said that she favoured “graduated action” instead of an all-out strike.

An emergency motion “deploring” the levy was put before the 450 delegates on Tuesday, but withdrawn and broadened yesterday to include direct commitments on action.

The new motion also contains a condemnation of broader education cuts, in an attempt, say observers, to offset accusations of self-interest by teachers on the pensions issue.

During Tuesday’s debate, the ASTI executive and Ictu came in for severe criticism for allowing the pension levy to be introduced. Contrary to normal convention procedure, yesterday’s two-hour debate on the revised motion was held in private.

Behind the scenes, delegates expressed concern that a small number of vocal candidates were dominating procedures and giving a “false impression of where we stand”, said one.

The absence of media at the afternoon debate came as a relief to some moderate delegates frustrated at extensive media coverage of more extreme elements in the union.

Yesterday’s attempt to reach consensus in private will also have saved the union’s executive from a second public flogging in as many days.

ASTI executive Frank Killilea said that the session was held in private to give news of the directives on non-co-operation to the members before going public.