Teachers warned that pay hikes will be clawed back if Leaving Cert reform is blocked
A Department of Education letter to secondary teacher unions reminded them that payment of increases due under current and future wage deals depend on them backing reforms.
It said it reserved the right to seek a pause or clawback of pay rises in the event of industrial action or 'non-compliance' with a Senior Cycle Redevelopment plan.
The letter said payment of pay rises worth 1pc under this deal and 2pc under the next, under a special local bargaining clause, are subject to compliance with the deal.
It also says 'outstanding payments' due under the pay deal, which are separate to the local bargaining pay rises, are subject to their compliance.
These outstanding payments include three pay rises worth 3pc that are due to all 400,000 public servants under the deal. They include a 1pc pay rise on August 1, a 1pc pay rise on February 1 next year and another 1pc in June 2026.
The TUI has recommended that its members accept the reform package but the ASTI is not issuing a recommendation to its members on how they should vote.
Students will be awarded a minimum of 40pc of their marks for project or practical work under the reforms that are designed to ease exam pressure on students.
'It should be clearly understood that the benefits of this agreement are dependent on parties to it approving the agreement and complying with it,' said the letter sent on May 8.
'The payment of the 1pc and 2pc element of local bargaining are subject to this agreement being complied with for the duration of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme.
'The department reserves the right to seek a pause or clawback of these increases in the event of industrial action or other non-compliance in the future in respect of Senior Cycle Redevelopment, through the appropriate Public Service Agreement structures.
'The outstanding payments due under the Public Service Agreement 2024 to 2026 are subject to compliance with the PSA, including commitments relating to supporting, and co-operating with, Senior Cycle Redevelopment.'
However, the department said if cooperation ceases at any stage, it t will refer the dispute to dispute resolution mechanisms that are part of the deal.
The letter from Dalton Tatton, assistant secretary general, said the department considers a document it sent the ASTI and TUI as 'a full and final offer' in relation to support measures for this phase of Leaving Cert redevelopment.
Among measures to support the rollout of the reforms, the letter referred to revised arrangements for teachers securing permanent contracts and a 'reconfiguration' of extra hours being worked.
The development of a 'right to disconnect' policy is also mentioned, along with working groups to monitor a programme that relates to AI.
Kieran Christie, general secretary of the ASTI, said the union's ballot will end in June. 'We're balloting our members and bringing the full facts to their attention without a recommendation,' he said. 'We are mindful and our members are mindful of their obligations under the agreement.'
He said the union sees the letter in the 'context of normal engagement in bargaining and industrial relations'. He said the ASTI has been aware of the potential penalties since its members accepted the public sector pay deal and the letter is a 'further elaboration on that'.
It is understood that there is a feeling among a portion of members of the unions that the reforms were rushed and will involve an excessive workload. Sources said there are also concerns around the use of AI and authenticating projects.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
8 hours ago
- Irish Independent
ASTI votes down Leaving Cert reform package
The package related to teachers and their conditions of employment and apply only to those teachers who become parties to the agreement. The ASTI, in a separate ballot, voted 67pc to 33pc in favour of industrial action 'if necessary, up to and including strike action, in opposition to the accelerated implementation of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme'. Education Minister Helen McEntee said: 'Despite the positive engagement between the ASTI, the TUI and my Department in the recent negotiations, the ASTI's membership have voted not to accept this strong package of supports for teachers, schools and students on offer.' Despite the ASTI voting against this package, changes to senior cycle are still set to go ahead. Under the terms of the Public Service Agreement, ASTI members have committed to cooperating with Senior Cycle Redevelopment. In addition, in engagements before the ballot process, the ASTI confirmed to Department officials that their members will teach the new and revised specifications from the next school year. Minister McEntee added: 'As I confirmed in April, the implementation of the programme will continue with the introduction of the first tranche of new and revised Leaving Certificate subjects in September 2025 as previously announced. 'From the very outset, the Senior Cycle Redevelopment programme has been motivated by the needs of our students. "The world is rapidly changing and it is important that we equip students with the skills they will need to succeed and to thrive when they finish school.' In the coming days, the Department will seek to engage with the leadership of the Teachers' Union of Ireland as it proceeds to implement the support measures. ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie said: 'ASTI research published in 2025 shows that a key concern is the lack of resources and capacity in schools to introduce such radical change in an effective manner. "Furthermore, the supports on offer do little to provide a Senior Cycle experience for all students that addresses the core inequalities that are in place in the second-level system."
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Threat of industrial action in secondary schools as ASTI rejects Leaving Cert reforms
Members of Ireland's largest teaching union have voted to reject proposals to enable Leaving Cert reforms, and have also endorsed industrial action. The ASTI ballot rejected proposals to adopt new support measures for the largest changes to the Leaving Cert in a hundred years – due to be implemented this September. The union rejected the Department of Education proposal by a margin of 68% to 32%, raising the prospect of industrial action this autumn. The support measures had already been endorsed by the other major secondary teaching union, the TUI. In a statement, the union's general secretary Kieran Christie said that the vote shows that second level teachers 'have real and significant concerns' regarding the senior cycle overhaul programme. He said that a key concern is a perceived lack of resources to aid teachers in implementing the new programme, which would see a minimum of 40% of marks at Leaving Cert level delivered by project work. Teachers had expressed concerns as to how those reforms are to be effectively implemented, and how the growing challenge of Artificial Intelligence is to be handled, with the unions arguing that insufficient time had been given towards easing the transition to the new format. Mr Christie said that the supports offered by the Department of Education, which included a commitment to early reviews of the implementation of the new reforms and the creation of specific posts of responsibility to support that implementation, 'do little to provide a senior cycle experience for all students that addresses the core inequalities that are in place in the second-level system'. Minister for Education Helen McEntee said she had noted the result of the ASTI's vote, but said that, given the ASTI's members had previously committed to cooperating with senior cycle redevelopment that the reforms would 'continue as planned'. 'The implementation of the programme will continue with the introduction of the first tranche of new and revised Leaving Certificate subjects in September 2025 as previously announced,' the Minister said, adding that engagement with the TUI will ensue in the coming days for the implementation of the support measures that the ASTI has now rejected. Last April, both the ASTI and TUI served warning of potential industrial action should the then-ongoing engagement with the Government regarding the controversial new reforms not reach an acceptable conclusion.
RTÉ News
9 hours ago
- RTÉ News
ASTI members reject Leaving Cert reforms
ASTI members have voted to reject proposals aimed at enabling Leaving Cert reforms, and have also endorsed industrial action. They voted by more than two thirds to reject the document, Senior Cycle Redevelopment – Implementation Support Measures. With a turnout of 73%, 68% voted against the proposals and 32% voted in favour. In a separate ballot, ASTI members voted by 67% to 33% in favour of industrial action, up to and including strike action, if necessary, in opposition to the accelerated implementation of the reforms. Turnout in that vote was slightly lower at 70%. The ASTI said that the results point to "a lack of confidence in the accelerated Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme as it is currently constituted". Members had, the ASTI said in a statement, delivered "a resounding rejection of the package of implementation support measures on offer from the Department of Education". General Secretary Kieran Christie said that "second-level teachers have real and significant concerns" about the implementation of the proposals. Research the union conducted "shows that a key concern is the lack of resources and capacity in schools", he added. "Furthermore, the supports on offer do little to provide a Senior Cycle experience for all students that addresses the core inequalities that are in place in the second-level system. "The ASTI research also finds that the majority of second-level teachers are concerned about developments in AI, authentication of Additional Assessment Components, and insufficient teacher training in some subject areas. The support package available from the Department fails to sufficiently address these concerns." The ASTI said that it "will continue to be available to engage with the Minister for Education and Youth and her Department in relation to how these and other significant concerns can be addressed".
