Upcoming ASTI ballot on SLARS

joebloggs32

deiseindublin wrote: »

TUI signed up to the same agreement as ASTI all those years ago so shouldn't be facilitating SLARs that are entirely outside school timetabled hours.

They never did intend to enforce the circular though. On the very first mention on SLARs in TUI News they gave an example of a school with a half day on a Wednesday timetabling it there.

Before we signed up to the agreement the situation regarding SLARS was outlined by an official from head office at a branch meeting. We were told if we agreed to the proposals then SLARS would no longer happen during class time. The professional time would be used towards the SLARS instead of the substitution model which had originally been used for JCT English. Not everyone goes to Branch meetings, but anyone at my branch meeting clearly understood what would happen.

joebloggs32

Random sample wrote: »

I’m surprised there hasn’t been more uproar about this circular. Asti response is decent, but tui haven’t responded at all. Does that mean they’re fine with it?

Why would the TUI respond? Nothing is changing for TUI members. This is not an issue created by the TUI.

This is very much a conundrum for the ASTI who's members can really only take option D without breaking a directive.

deiseindublin

joebloggs32 wrote: »

Before we signed up to the agreement the situation regarding SLARS was outlined by an official from head office at a branch meeting. We were told if we agreed to the proposals then SLARS would no longer happen during class time. The professional time would be used towards the SLARS instead of the substitution model which had originally been used for JCT English. Not everyone goes to Branch meetings, but anyone at my branch meeting clearly understood what would happen.

Well, I asked a branch secretary and was told that lots of examples for how it would work were in TUI news. When we pointed out that our school didn't have a timetabled half day there was shoulder shrugging.

The expression "Piss or get off the pot" comes to mind for so many of these union issues.

deiseindublin

Will be hard to dual schools though, whatever option is taken, it will have to be school wide.

Treppen

joebloggs32 wrote: »

Why would the TUI respond? Nothing is changing for TUI members. This is not an issue created by the TUI.

This is very much a conundrum for the ASTI who's members can really only take option D without breaking a directive.

I would argue This issue was created by the TUI.

First off, I'm not talking about ordinary TUI members, they had zero backup from TUI head office when principals started to insist meetings be done exclusively outside tuition time.

When this became an issue of some requests to do it after school, all ASTI schools were issued with a directive restating what they had agreed upon with the department. If the TUI had done the same there would have been a modicom of solidarity between unions... For once.

Divide and conquer etc. etc. Rinse and repeat.

I've no doubt this will yet again see ASTI members being balloted, and in true to form fashion they will insist on the department sticking to the agreement. But in true to form fashion the department will issue cuts to ASTI members.

Treppen

deiseindublin wrote: »

Will be hard to dual schools though, whatever option is taken, it will have to be school wide.

There is time within school tuition time. We organised it no problem.
Mocks, summer exams, 2nd and 3rd year events, sports day. For minority subjects it was left up to them to organise which can be done. I'll admit there will be lunch time meetings. But anything to avoid being kept back after school.

We have a regular Union meeting in school, the directive was restated and everyone agreed and just accepted that we'll find a way.

Benicetomonty

Treppen wrote: »

I would argue This issue was created by the TUI.

First off, I'm not talking about ordinary TUI members, they had zero backup from TUI head office when principals started to insist meetings be done exclusively outside tuition time.

When this became an issue of some requests to do it after school, all ASTI schools were issued with a directive restating what they had agreed upon with the department. If the TUI had done the same there would have been a modicom of solidarity between unions... For once.

Divide and conquer etc. etc. Rinse and repeat.

I've no doubt this will yet again see ASTI members being balloted, and in true to form fashion they will insist on the department sticking to the agreement. But in true to form fashion the department will issue cuts to ASTI members.

This ultimatum is different to the last one issued by the dept for a number of reasons.
Firstly there can be no talk of an agreement being 'repudiated'. The DES is reneging on an agreement. Isnt it interesting how despite reporting on the issue, the Irish media has stopped short of actually referencing the relevent wording within the agreement for fear of what it would do to their pro DES agenda? Just a ridiculous amount of bias, one that you would think will be easy to reference for an ASTI official if it comes down to a battle on the airwaves.

Secondly, there is no govt. What minister is going to sign off on any punitive measures this time? Maybe Im being naive in this assertion but even if the DES can force such measures through in the absence of an education minister, the threats that have been made will not exclusively affect ASTI members like they did last time. TUI and non union teachers will also be subject to compulsory redundancies/redeployment. FEMPI might be able to withold CIDs but I would doubt it gives a govt the power to fire permanent ASTI staff over non permanent TUI staff on this basis .

And even if they can, then what? They follow through? An act of war during what will be the run up to the state exams? After failing to deploy FEMPI on either the TUI or the INMO in the last year? Dont see it and certainly cant see the ASTI lying down this time.

deiseindublin

I agree, shocking that it's DES that's reneging and nobody has bothered to print it in black and whilte.

coillsaille

The JMB have been quick to run to the support of the DES in the SLAR issue.
They have issued a letter to principals and BOMs recommending that if consensus cannot be reached among staff (which obviously can't be reached given the directive) then the BOM should decide on one of the options for next year's SLARS, but not to pick option D.

Icsics

coillsaille wrote: »

The JMB have been quick to run to the support of the DES in the SLAR issue.
They have issued a letter to principals and BOMs recommending that if consensus cannot be reached among staff (which obviously can't be reached given the directive) then the BOM should decide on one of the options for next year's SLARS, but not to pick option D.

Don’t suppose there’s a link to this letter?

coillsaille

Icsics wrote: »

Don’t suppose there’s a link to this letter?

I don't have one anyway, I was just briefly shown it.

TheValeyard

So what's the deal now. Staff are getting emails about the four options but surely the unions wont co-operate or staff wont even vote on any of those options.

coillsaille

TheValeyard wrote: »

So what's the deal now. Staff are getting emails about the four options but surely the unions wont co-operate or staff wont even vote on any of those options.

The ASTI have advised members not to vote for any of the options if school management bring it up at a staff meeting.

coillsaille

TheValeyard wrote: »

So what's the deal now. Staff are getting emails about the four options but surely the unions wont co-operate or staff wont even vote on any of those options.

The ASTI have advised members not to vote for any of the options if school management bring it up at a staff meeting.