The prospect of serious disruption of this year's Leaving and Junior Certificate exams increased last night when secondary teachers reacted furiously to a Labour Court recommendation on their 30 per cent claim.
Today's key meeting of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) is set to reject the Labour Court proposals and escalate its plans for strike action.
Last night the ASTI standing committee unanimously recommended that the CEC reject the proposals when it meets this morning.
As reported in The Irish Times earlier this week, the court makes no "upfront" pay offer to the ASTI, asking it instead to pursue its case through the Government's new bench marking pay body.
One source described the package as a "non-runner". Last night even the moderates within the union stepped back from endorsing the deal.
The angry reaction means the ASTI is set to unleash a fresh wave of school closures beginning next Tuesday and running until Easter. Today's meeting could propose a series of strikes which would close over 600 secondary schools for three days every week.
Serious disruption of Leaving Cert oral exams due to begin in a fortnight, and of the written Leaving and Junior Cert exams in June, is also much more likely.
The Labour Court recommendation recognises that teachers have a "sustainable case" for a sizeable pay increase. But it says teachers should press this claim through the benchmarking body. This has already been rejected by the ASTI.
The court says it cannot accept the union's argument that it is "unique" and that benchmarking cannot deal with its claim. It says this argument is particularly difficult to accept when other teacher unions (the INTO and TUI) are prepared to participate in benchmarking.
While making no down payment, the court says the payments to ASTI members under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness - 16 per cent by December - constitute an upfront payment.
However, in a concession to the union, the court proposes a new teaching forum, to be established by June 2001, which would conduct a comprehensive review of non-pay aspects.
This would address professional development, the role of the teacher in a rapidly changing environment and new support systems for schools and teachers.
Today's meeting will also have to decide if the union's 17,000 members should be balloted on the Labour Court's recommendation. The court's proposals can also be rejected by the CEC, but only by a two thirds majority.
Some of the ASTI leadership want a ballot, but this will be fought by hardline members, some of whom are worried that a two-week-long ballot would reduce the chances of affecting oral and practical exams.
The court says the Department of Education should, as a gesture of goodwill, rule out docking teachers' pay for the five days when they withdrew from supervision last year.