TWO out of three secondary schools will be closed by strike action as the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) seeks equal pay for new teachers.
The union’s 18,000 members plan to stop providing supervision and substitution from November 7, and will strike on seven different dates between now and December.
An ASTI Protest this week. Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie
Up to 525 schools could be closed on health and safety grounds due to lack of supervisors. Application forms are set to be sent out to parents offering €38-a-day for taking on supervision, but vetting all applicants before the services are withdrawn may not be possible as the process takes seven weeks. This could leave some schools faced being closed for up to a month.
The industrial action could be avoided if the ASTI and the Department of Education and Skills can come to an agreement to bring the pay of teachers who started after 2011 in line with longer-serving teachers. ASTI president Ed Byrne pointed to a deal with the INTO — who represent national school teachers — as a model that could work, partially restoring cuts and offering a timeline for pay parity.
Strikes are set to take place on October 27, November 8, November 16, November 24, November 29, December 6, and December 7.
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