Primary teachers are being put on a "war footing" as the Government's benchmarking body prepares to make its recommendations on public service pay.
Incoming INTO general secretary, Mr John Carr, warned there would be large-scale industrial action by primary teachers if their "legitimate salary claim" was ignored by the body.
"We have waited three long years for a review of our salaries and allowances. Our waiting ends in June," he told the annual conference of the Irish Primary Principals' Network in Galway.
The benchmarking body is expected to make its recommendation in June and the INTO and TUI leaderships are hoping it can deliver large pay rises. The other union, the ASTI, is refusing to co-operate with the body.
Mr Carr said: "I want to send a clear and unambiguous message to Government and to the benchmarking body that we have delivered in terms of the transformation of the education service. We have demonstrated in our submission that we are, on average, 20 per cent behind graduates in the managerial professions.
"Recognition by the Minister for Education, along with his Department colleagues and the Labour Court, that teachers' salaries are depressed will have lost their sell-by date by June 2002, if the benchmarking body does not respond appropriately to our legitimate salary claim," he added.
Referring to some suggestions that teachers and principals should have made separate submissions to the body he said, "we may all have to campaign together if our legitimate claim is not met".
Mr Carr outlined to the delegates the terms of the union's benchmarking submission. The delegates applauded loudly when he said among the demands it was making was for principals at primary level to be paid the same as those at second level.
He said it was no secret that the INTO's pay demands for principals were described by the benchmarking body as "being the largest single increase demanded by any grade in the public sector". He said the union was glad about this and believed it to be justified.
Referring to recent tensions between the IPPN and the INTO, he said he was "deeply concerned" about the circulation of a document to schools and to the national media, which claimed the INTO submission failed to make the case for principals.
This document said the INTO submission was wrong to attempt to subsume principalship into the general teaching function.
Mr Carr replied: "Why not? Are we still not teachers irrespective of the level of promotion which we achieve? Over 2,500 of our principal teachers continue to have a full-time teaching role. What we need is proper recognition and reward, irrespective of how it is paid."
He said it was regrettable that last-minute attempts were being made to undermine the cohesiveness of the INTO submission.
"Our aim throughout all of our deliberations was to present an inclusive claim which could be supported by all teachers.
"A united organisation, committed to achieving a just reward for all its members, is essential as we prepare to meet the challenges which may confront our members following the publication of the benchmarking report."