Striking Teachers Urged To ‘Think Of The Children’ As 500 Schools Close

More than five hundred secondary schools across Ireland remain closed today as members of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) begin strike action. Today's strike is the first of seven planned one-day walkouts as teachers demand equal pay for staff qualified since 2011. Teachers are refusing supervision and substitution duties in protest after €800 pay penalties were imposed, stemming from ASTI members' refusal to take meetings outside of school hours.

Strike day. #edchatie @astiunion #Asti16 #EqualPay #LPT pic.twitter.com/2FdjqWRuKI

— Conor Murphy (@conorsmurf) October 27, 2016

Voicing his disappointment at the decision to take industrial action, Minister Richard Bruton said the ASTI had closed schools 'unnecessarily'.

"It would not be equal or fair for us to conclude sectoral deals with particular groups of public servants to the exclusion of other groups of public servants," he said. "To do so would also mean that we do not have the money left in the public purse to provide increases in social welfare payments for vulnerable groups, tax reductions for people at work, or investments in improvements in public services that people rely on."

Meanwhile, the National Parents Council is appealing to teachers and the Government to resolve the dispute immediately.

#Asti getting ready to strike at Colaise Éinde Salthill @rtenews pic.twitter.com/gX5kbls89z — TERESA MANNION (@TeresaMannion) October 27, 2016

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, post primary PRO Rebecca Hemrych said:

“I would say please think of the students, please think of our children, and especially the Junior Cert students and the Leaving Cert students,” “They need to be put first at this stage.”

The next planned strikes will take place on Tuesday, November 8, Wednesday November 16, Thursday, November 24, Tuesday November 29 and on two consecutive days next month on Tuesday December 6 and Wednesday December 7. Do you agree with the ASTI's decision to take strike action? Let us know on Twitter @HerFamilydotie.