There are further threats of industrial action in the horizon, this time in the education sector.
The Association of Secondary Teachers’ Ireland (ASTI) has today overwhelmingly voted in favor of industrial action, which could result in the closure of over half of the country’s secondary schools for several days next month.
There are currently two ongoing rows involving ASTI members: One on the issue of restoration of full pay equality for newly-qualified teachers, and the second one involving the proposed withdrawal of supervision and substitution duties. According to ASTI members, teachers should no longer perform these duties, as they rejected the Landsdowne Road Agreement.
On the issue of pay, the ballot reflected a 80pc-20pc in favor of industrial action, while on the the second issue, the ballot registered a 78pc-22pc result.