T here can be was one of those disputes, like the nurses' strike in 1999, that has significance way beyond the 16,000 members of the Association cacaco (ASTI involved in it.
While most trade union disputes are sectional with only an indirect bearing onoract workers this disputewas, and still is, a political matter of interest to every worker in the country. is this?
like nurses they are front line workers in a service dear to the hearts of tive. of whom it was howing little improvement despite Properly paid and motivated clearly in the teachers interests of all workers and reachers could count on this the start.
The teachers were explicMatonal ship and bad left the ICTU in order not to be bound by Prosperity HICH Programme and Fairness for machine' (PPF).
This leadershin role in rejecting partnership carned them the vitriolic opposition promoted a vicious propaganda offensive culminating in them being called 'terrorists' by a reactionary parents' representative.
The government itself were went as far as breaking the law by not paying teachers for their attendance at school while they retused to carr out purely voluntary and unpaid supervisory duties.
they incurred the wrath of the trade union leader. ship. ICTU opposition formed to their demands was a factor common to the nurses' dispute, but the teachers had the gone even ( further by rejecting the PPF and ICTU.
ASTI had lodged a large pay claim of 30% while most propaganda advised large pay claims as opinion. the main means of breaking Their dispute was also under the control of the rank and hile a demand waica would be top of much of the nesses. workers winning their demands). The structures of cratic than most, and the tion Hought it EYES alone among have said, the A column from Socialist Democracy, Irish section of the Fourth international opposition had control of the 180 strong national execuhad been reined in to sup- bureaucrats.
under the control of the rank and file.
In addition they had also rejected benchmarking which had quite properly been understood as a means or acstroying exist ing terms and conditions. Few were fooled by Irish Organcachers (INTO) leader Joe O'Toole's reference to bench- benchmarking.
'ATM where teachers could withdraw whatever Get despite all this a second question body. becomes When the leaders insistent. the teachers lost so far? ward Militancy, determination caused and rank ( the clearly not The maiority of teachers across the three unions sup- action but ported ASTI's demands and those in the Teachers Unior TUI and INTO. of Ireland (TUI) voted with ASTI against the PPF and A large number in INTO supported this stand and industrial majority across the three unions. question.
Yet despite this a reason why the strike failed was that hierarchy were able to divide cacaers and with a vicious government oftensive force teacher: retreat in the face of "public It would therefore being brought of support in the population they could set tac at large as the key reason for from it quicker!
the the restilt of prior weakunion bosses built a coalition behind ASTI's ASTI, in turn failed to build its own coaliof go to defeat it. full responsibility for the marking the central issue disruption which would be and to go over the heads of Jan inevitable outcome of the dispute, however they teacher unions.
La PR disaster the action of militants but one which flowed from these unions more fundamental failures. ASTI and then supporting able strike action to bring bencho point out that ASTI was marking in faster.
the teacher Abero 30% claim ignoring the fact that, as we that it could casily be dealt majority of with under the PPF that is teachers supported ASTI's Opposition to benchmarkhis happened ing therefore became central. because although reflected ing means treating teachers as if they worked in the priconcerns the TUl and INTO remained firmly is nothing without teachers this means treatins caucation as if it was producing ASTI failed to go over the software or selling hamburgappeal to the rank and file. xplaining The rank and file in these benchmarking unions was aiso unabic to take the initiative and in fact manocuvres of the leadership which actu- commodity (educated chilally undermined the strike. produced for would have been a powerful union leaders' emphasis on which became their key to breaking the strike by encouraging the two other teacher unions to strikes to bring it forward were in any way progressive. sions to the benchmarking It would explode illusions that as a result of of the ASTI action benchmarking TUI put forward a strike bal- is now less of a threat. lot in favour of bringing for- defeated strike will not have benchmarking this made henchmarking any less confusion even on fact both There is to be a new ballot amounted to strike breaking of ASTI midst of the ASTI September. was understood by many in the Teachers United to seck 'an immediate This weakness allowed the within the PPR leaders to disorient ASTI's Such a route forward fails supporters including the left to learn the lessons brought up to believe that dispute and accepts defeat of action is project of rejecting the every political When Ahern promises that everything is possible his failure fully to within it he means only that appreciate the nians of the government character of become the against which any changes benchmarking came to the fore can be made. again later in INTO when There can be no disguising difficulties failed the left supported it teachers Forward attempting money defending their terms and final analysis the conditions. failure of the strike resulted from a lack of political con- made by action so far in an failure manner and rejecting understand just how far the wrong lessons which government was prepared to will hear far too much of in the months ahead.
It explains supporting ignored the and emphasisca