No major change is expected from meetings to assess effects of action

Second-level teachers meet today to evaluate the effect of two weeks of industrial action

Second-level teachers meet today to evaluate the effect of two weeks of industrial action. The next day of disruption is Tuesday.

The standing committee of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) is not expected to alter greatly the nature of its action.

The ASTI general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, said everything would be reviewed but no "dramatic" changes were likely.

Next week classes will be cancelled on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On December 5th a strike will take place throughout the State. Yesterday more than 600 schools cancelled classes.

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Uncertainty surrounded the Government's plans to dock the pay of teachers who have been participating in the action.

The Joint Managerial Body - which represents most school managements - called on the Department to make clear that principals and deputy principals will be paid in December.

About 1,200 of them have been working during the days when classes were cancelled because of lack of supervision.

South East: A member of the National Parents' Council, Mr John Whyte, claimed that secondary school students will lose the equivalent of 18 days' education because of the disruption to their schooling caused by the action. This claim was rejected by the ASTI.

Cork: As the second consecutive day of the ASTI dispute kept thousands of students away from secondary schools in Cork city and county, teachers and pupils at the all-girls St Mary's College in Macroom played host last night to students from St Mark's College in Warrenpoint, Co Down as part of a Co-operation Ireland initiative. The school principal, Mr Jim O'Leary, said teaching staff had been preparing various projects all day to have them ready for the visit.

North West: The Minister's decision to dock money from teachers' Christmas pay cheques prompted "an outburst of anger", the ASTI regional representative said. Ms Mary Duggan said it was not a question of money but the "Scrooge-like" attitude that had angered teachers.

Galway: Secondary-school teachers continued their industrial action at 33 schools in the region yesterday, although a retreat at St Joseph's College in the city went ahead.

Midwest: About 40 schools in the Midwest were open for more than 1,000 ASTI members, but they faced empty classrooms. The area representative, Mr Willie Lawlor, said the action had been 100 per cent successful.