Staff should not collect exam fees, says ASTI official

PROTEST:TEACHERS should refuse to collect Junior and Leaving Cert exam fees as part of their protest against the embargo on promotions, a leading union figure told the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland conference.

Noel Buckley (central executive committee) said the moratorium on teaching posts of responsibility had devastated schools. Under the embargo, schools can no longer fill vacancies for posts such as subject heads or transition year co-ordinator.

Mr Buckley said teachers and staffrooms had it within their own power to help reverse the cut. They should not feel powerless. They could, for example, not get involved in collecting exam fees and instead focus on the middle management posts which benefit teaching and learning in schools. “We could say to management – you figure out how to run the collection of exam fees. And this would prompt a quick response.”

Philip Irwin (standing committee) said while Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn is not insulting us, he is not helping us either. The system of middle management in schools was being dismantled and the union needed to fight back, he said.

Mark Walshe (Dublin), a member of the ad hoc ASTI Fight Back group, said members could not have it both ways. The reality was the union had backed the Croke Park deal and it would now have to deal with the consequences. The union, he said, had effective industrial action in place to combat the cuts but this had not been removed after it signed up to Croke Park. “It was terrible to see how cowed and bowed down people are.” He said the union needed to tease out a strategic plan to address a situation where the Government broke the Croke Park deal.

Members backed a motion calling for the immediate removal of the moratorium.

In a debate on pensions, Greta Harrison said she was dismayed to see the lack of coverage for the ASTI in the RTÉ One main news bulletin. The INTO and the TUI had received coverage because they were willing to take action on unqualified teachers and fee-paying schools. But the ASTI looked as if it had nothing to say.

She also criticised the demonisation of the public service. “People think public servants are like the boys in the bank. Can we please remind people that we get out of our pension what we put into it.”